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Comment by throw0101a | Hacker News Reader

I've heard that the LeMans 24-Hour race is very gruelling on vehicles: how practical would having a Tesla (or any other EV) try doing it? (Or has it been tried?)

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Probably could run the whole race but the need to recharge often would hinder it substantially. Notable Toyota entered a hybrid car in 2019.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_TS050_Hybrid

A Tesla would be left for dead by a Leaf:

https://insideevs.com/news/359903/video-nissan-leaf-beats-te...

"The particular race showcased in the video is between an older Tesla Model S and a new, modified Nissan LEAF PLUS"

Doesn't really seem like a fair comparison, regardless of what the subtitle says.

Of course it isn't, the whole argument is pointless. It's just a bit of fun.

With battery swaps?

Here's a 24 hour run Porsche did with the Taycan. They covered 3,425km in 24 hours:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jSG_10_JRg

EVs are uncompetitive with ICE cars in 24 hour races at the moment due to the time lost in recharging. Much faster charging or fast battery swaps would be needed to match ICE vehicles.

> They covered 3,425km in 24 hours

That's amusing. I tried doing a rough calc when researching the answer below and came up with about 2000 miles or 3200 km for an electric. Close!

If batteries got 50% better they'd be competitive.

There is Formula E, but they swap cars at pitstops.

For LeMans, I think you'd have to do something similar to bumper cars with an electrified grid above it.

Formula E no longer does car swaps with the Gen2 car. The races are 45 minutes plus one lap. You can watch the recent Mexico race on the Formula E YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDjw0AWiVX8

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