Diesel engine-charged Tesla Model S covers 3500 miles with 76 gallons of fuel

Armed with lessons learned from a previous road trip with an ICE generator-kitted Tesla, the Warped Perception team placed a 3.0L diesel engine in a Model S.

The old turbo diesel combustion engine was used as an electricity generator to charge the Tesla battery, and the team was able to cover 3,500 miles with the contraption while burning 76.2 gallons of diesel.

This admittedly inefficient setup returned about 45.69 MPG average fuel economy to power the AWD Model S, or about a third of its EPA MPG equivalent estimate.

The lessons learned from a previous trip away from the charger included reworking the engine cooling system, as well as silencing it with a more elaborate exhaust.

This time around, the YouTubers moved the diesel engine cooling radiator at the front of the Tesla where the frunk would be, and it fit in there perfectly, performing better thanks to the increased airflow while the electric car was in motion.

The constant noise and smell of the ICE in the back of the Tesla that was an issue the previous time was solved by a tri-chamber exhaust system contraption that did a commendable job of drowning out noise and vibrations from the diesel engine.

The 3,500 miles roundtrip didn't go without issues, though, spanning from clogged fuel filters and oil leaks to cooling hoses pierced by road gravel.

In the end, however, the fun experiment to keep the Tesla Model S away from an EV charger with an ICE generator in the trunk was successful, much to the chagrin of hotel guests and Costco shoppers around parking lots where the Tesla was left to be charged overnight by the noisy diesel engine.

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