Tesla just entered the Guinness World Record book. The electric automaker teamed up with Qantas for a publicity stunt in which a Tesla Model X P100D pulled a 287,000-pound Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner nearly 1,000 feet down the tarmac at the Melbourne Airport in Australia. The electric SUV drove into the history books for setting the very specific record of “heaviest tow by an electric production passenger vehicle.”
While the Dreamliner didn’t have any passengers or cargo on board, and it only had a small amount of fuel, it’s an incredibly impressive feat for the Tesla vehicle, which can typically tow about 5,500 pounds, according to a press release. For those of us who are bad at math, a Dreamliner weighs a heckuva lot (technical term!) more than 5,500 pounds.
The event not only proved Tesla’s towing power, but it also kickstarted Qantas’s new sustainability campaign, showing how innovation can increase sustainability in the transportation industry.
And for that slice of the Venn Diagram of Tesla drivers who also happen to be Qantas customers, there are a few rewards available:
- Tesla owners who are also Frequent Flyer members will have their mileage offset both in their vehicles and in the air for the month of June with the Qantas Future Planet Program
- Supplying charging solutions with Tesla High Power Wall Connectors at Qantas Valet facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide will allow Model S and Model X owners to charge whilst they travel
- The companies are collaborating to deliver innovation toward holistic sustainable transport
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
