Testing the Tesla Model S in the real world

This book was written in the very early days of EV adoption, in 2014, presents objective data, financial analysis an intensive road test of the Tesla Model S electric car undertaken in the UK in November of that year.  The test was designed to replicate the mix of long-distance business trips and frequent shorter journeys which the authors make day-to-day.  The aim of the test was to determine whether the Tesla Model S, the world’s first electric car technically capable of making a long journey on a single battery charge, was practically usable for all trip types in real world UK conditions.


The book covers features a detailed analysis of how the car, and the electricity charging infrastructure from which it drew power, performed in real world conditions, under real UK road, traffic and weather conditions.


It also includes a chapter giving an overview of the financial and tax incentives available to support EV ownership in the UK, including a like-for-like comparison with a conventionally-powered car of similar performance over a three year / 45,000 mile period.


Obviously, EV adoption is now significantly more widespread and everything has changed around charging stations, tax breaks, and the technology and efficiency of cars themselves. In the light of these changes, book remains available simply as a historical record of the considerations which applied at the time. The financial and fiscal information provided should therefore also only be treated as historical source material, not as a statement of current (2025) taxation or motoring realities.