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VW ID.4 Sets Guinness World Record for Longest Continuous EV Trip in One Country

Volkswagen's ID.4 has a Guinness World Record to its name, and it is for the longest journey by an EV in a single country. This record would not have been possible without Rainer Zietlow and Derek Collins, who drove the ID.4 across 48 U.S. states and over 35,000 miles (ca. 56,327 km).
Volkswagen ID.4 8 photos
Photo: Volkswagen
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The trio set off almost 100 days ago and planned to visit over 600 Volkswagen dealerships in the U.S. with an ID.4, VW's first long-range EV, as the company describes it.

Much later, after over 35,000 miles (ca. 56,327 km) and 628 Volkswagen dealerships visited, a Guinness World Records representative awaited them back in Herndon, VA, with their record certificate. To be precise, we are writing about 35,770 (57.566 km) miles driven in 97 days (about 3 months).

Along their route, the travelers made 208 stops at Electrify America's charging stations. The latter is the largest open DC fast-charging network in the USA, and it has over 650 charging stations and more than 2,800 individual DC fast chargers. Unfortunately, VW has not specified the vehicle's energy efficiency for this trip, but we have our data on the ID.4.

As Electrify America notes, the company expects to have more than 1,800 charging stations and over 10,000 chargers in North America (USA and Canada) by 2025. As long as other companies do their part in the expansion of the EV charging network in each country they operate, it will be easier to drive from North to South or from East to West in any country with an electric vehicle and without any range anxiety.

To be clear, the record they set is for the longest continuous journey by electric vehicle (non-solar) in a single country. The team's progress was presented on a dedicated website, with updates on the vehicle's position being made every 15 minutes.

The previous record was bypassed by more than double the distance. Unlike other cross-country challenges, this record tends to be linked to a vehicle's range and the crew's ability to choose the best charging points along the way.

In other words, this record could be broken if a few people decide they have the necessary time for it and contact Guinness World Records on the matter. Before attempting this, those three months of travel will need a considerable bit of planning.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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