Rolf and Silke Sommerfeld are on a mission.
On June 12, they set out from Victoria, BC on a 10,000 kilometre journey to St. John’s, NL. Lots of people have done that, but Rolf and Silke’s version is unique. They are doing it entirely in a 100 per cent electric car pulling a solar-powered trailer. And, while it is their dream vacation, they are using the opportunity to raise awareness and share information on sustainable energy and transportation.
“We’ve always wanted to cross Canada,” Silke said. “We always thought we would do it in a gas motorhome, but then we came across Tesla and we test drove the Model S and that totally sold us.”
That was the beginning of a change of mindset. They installed solar panels on their home and started generating their own power.
“We came to believe in all that,” she said. “And then when it came to going across Canada, it was, ‘okay, now what do we do about that, do we want another gas motorhome?’ We were not really happy with that anymore.”
As Tesla owners they got invited to the launch of the the Model X. When the car arrived on stage pulling a camper, that’s when the light bulb lit up over their heads.
They had already reserved their Tesla X, so it was just a matter of waiting for delivery, buying a lightweight camper and modifying it to run on solar power.
Turning the trip into something more than a holiday was an easy decision.
“I have a daughter,” Rolf said. “When I see her and her friends, I feel like I’m leaving a really bad place for them, for their future. It makes me really feel bad, so we’re doing this to get everybody’s eyes opened towards thinking about the futures of their children.”
Of course, one of the roadblocks a lot of people see with electric vehicles is infrastructure. Rolf and Silke said they have not had a lot of challenges, although it does take some foresight. For example, their is no hydro on the Icefields Highway between Banff and Lake Louise, so that leg of the journey took a little planning.
The Tesla makes it easier, they said. With a range of 400 kilometres and onboard charger, overcoming shortcomings in the country’s charging network, which does extend coast to coast now, is mostly worry-free.
When staying with friends, which they did in Yorkton, they can get a full charge in two hours from a dryer plug. When they have the time, say overnight, any regular electrical outlet will do and only adds about $6 to an electric bill.
Of course, the upfront cost of a Tesla is not insignificant. The X starts at around $80,000 USD. It is luxury all the way, however, on par with high end gas vehicles, and busts all the myths about electric vehicles with 530 hp, acceleration of 0-100 kph in 3.4 seconds and top speed of 210.
The Sommerfeld’s Alto travel trailer by Safari Condo, a family-operated, Quebec-based manufacturer, perfectly fit the bill. At just over 1,600 pounds, it barely touches the Tesla’s towing capacity of 5,000 pounds. Its aerodynamic design, combined with its retractable roof, nicely reduces drag and thereby has minimal effect on the car’s engine’s range.
While fulling believing in the equipment they are using to make the trip, the couple makes a special point of noting they do not work for, nor are they sponsored by either company. Their mission is to promote environmental sustainability not Tesla or Safari Condo.
Interested readers can follow the cross-country progress on their blog at teslaxcanada.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/teslax.canada.5.
