The 20th Century failed to deliver several high profile science fiction promises: jetpacks exist but are impractical, flying cars never worked, and working androids are still yet to arrive outside of a Japanese technology conference. The 21st Century is doing a little better. It's now possible for anyone to travel thousands of miles in a semi-autonomous all-electric vehicle, as long as they have a little extra money to spend.

Taking a Tesla Model S on a 1,200 mile round-trip to the middle of rural France is not only possible, thanks to the company's network of supercharger stations, it's one of the best road trips we've ever driven. For the last few years Tesla has been building a network of 120kW supercharging stations which can get you to half charge in 20 minutes. That means you can get almost anywhere in Europe, for free, if you have a compatible car and don't mind stopping every few hours (which you'll probably do anyway).

Here's what we learned from the roadtrip...

The car's torque and acceleration is addictive

The Tesla Model S's acceleration is so strong and the torque response so instant - and the chances for putting your foot down so abundant in an empty France full of toll booths and roundabouts - that you'll be instantly addicted to pushing the pedal all the way.

It's never obnoxious

A good sports saloon combines excellent performance with a subtle design, and the Tesla hides its abilities better than most. When you do launch from a red light or toll booth, passers by will barely notice. You'll definitely notice the relentless acceleration.

Cruising to get the maximum range is easy

The Model S isn't lying when it says you can get 250 miles. Total range is dependent on a lot of factors, but the biggest by far is how much you push the accelerator. You can easily exchange dozens of extra miles of range for a slightly slower speed, or vice versa.

Tesla has created all-electric range confidence

Forget range anxiety. After a few hundred miles you learn to trust what the Tesla's consumption read-out is telling you, and you relax. At first we were leaving 50 miles of spare range on the battery before arriving at our charging points. By the end we didn't mind if we only had 10 left when we pulled up at a supercharger.

Autopilot is an amazing autonomous driving experience

Racking up the miles on a long road trip has never been so easy thanks to Tesla's autopilot semi-autonomous driving feature. It's amazingly effective: take your feet off the pedal, hold the steering wheel with the lightest of touches, and let the car keep within the lanes and hold your distance with the car in front, from zero up to 90 mph. With over-the-air updates the car's abilities will only continue to improve.

The software is better than any other car we've driven

Luxury car manufacturers have never been able to get in-car technology right. The Tesla Model S manages it with aplomb: highlights include the excellent Google Maps routing and the split screen multi-tasking option which allows you to, for example, keep your eye on your route while tracking your battery usage.

Full disclosure: we did nearly run out of battery once

Thanks to a bit of poor planning (on our behalf) the power at the tiny rural hamlet we were visiting couldn't recharge the Tesla. That meant planning a slightly slower-than-usual journey to recharge at a hotel in nearby Limoges. Thankfully, France has an extensive network of Tesla-compatible alternative charging points which you can look up on websites like Open Charge Map.

Some supercharger stations are nicer than others

A highlight was the Tours supercharger at Arthotel, with delightful views of the Loire Valley and good coffee.

Every supercharger station visit is a social occasion

Paris, in particular, was the busiest station, with families, taxis and road trippers refilling their batteries. We never had to wait more than 15 minutes if a station was full.

The south of France is beautiful in the autumn

Admittedly that has nothing to do with the Tesla.

In summary

The Tesla Model S is one of the best cars we've ever had the pleasure of driving on a road trip: the acceleration and instant torque keeps things fun if you fancy turning off onto smaller roads; the battery gives you more than enough range to get anywhere without too much stress; the car is as comfortable as any other luxury car with heated, electric seats, and a user interface better than your iPad; and, because we drove through France where 75 per cent of power comes from nuclear, we did it all without burning a gram of carbon. Next time you're thinking about a road trip, know that it's possible to leave the combustion engine behind.

Find out more about the Tesla Model S and book your own test drive