What’s It Like To Own 7 Tesla Electric Cars? Ask The Man Who Does — “Superowner” Jens Kratholm

Those who are still worried about whether or not Tesla’s electric cars are suited to colder environments might want to listen to Jens Kratholm — the guy who owns more Tesla electric cars than anyone else in the world. Six Roadsters and one Model S, to be exact.

Might seem a bit excessive, but it does give him a fair bit of knowledge on the popular EVs, especially with regard to how they fare in very low temperatures. Because, you see, Kratholm lives in the far-northern Norwegian town of Narvik — located about 136 miles north of the Arctic Circle. He obviously knows a thing or two about how the high-end EVs fare in the cold, and doesn’t seem to have a problem with them.

So what does Kratholm (known by his neighbors as “Tesla Jens”) have to say on that subject? On the use of Tesla’s EVs in an environment that experiences average temperatures of just 39 degrees Fahrenheit?

“We found out that it’s a super winter car,” enthused Jens. “It’s so fantastic. It’s much easier and better than an ordinary car.” (The car he was referring to in particular was the Model S.)

The story, from Tesla, explains:

He likes that you can heat the Model S remotely via an app, so that there’s no ice or snow on the car when you’re ready to drive it. He also says the winter range is almost the same as the summer range. In December, he and Røsnes took the Model S to an ice hotel in Sweden, 200km from Narvik. The temperature dropped to -40 degrees Celsius. It was so cold that the trains couldn’t operate and the diesel in the buses froze. But the Model S was just fine.

“These cars, they were made for the temperatures, for the snow and the ice that we have,” states Ellen Røsnes, Jen’s wife. Røsnes has a farm outside of Narvik that’s flanked by a fjord and a glacier — the house has a steep uphill driveway that most cars can’t negotiate in 15cm of snow. “With the Roadster, it just goes on and on. When you think it’s going to stop, it just goes on.”

So if you’re considering buying a Tesla but worried that you might live in an environment that’s too cold, I think your questions have now been answered.

As you can probably guess by now, Kratholm intends to purchase the Model X once it’s released. Something a great many people around the world no doubt intend to do as well (over 12,000 preorders already). Unfortunately, it seems the Model X is going to be delayed again.

While the Roadster and Model S have proven themselves to be capable in the Arctic environment that Kratholm lives in, the Model X is likely to be an even better choice. With its all-wheel drive standard and greater power, the EV should do quite well in that environment.

Those of you right now itching to get another look at the EV will have to wait, though, or settle for these images from back in January.

Image Credit: Tesla Motors

What’s It Like To Own 7 Tesla Electric Cars? Ask The Man Who Does — “Superowner” Jens Kratholm was originally published on CleanTechnica.

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