In 97 days, they have covered more than 56,000 km on their course across the U.S.: Long-distance driver Rainer Zietlow and photographer Derek Collins drove a Volkswagen ID.4 EV through 48 U.S. states and more than doubled the previous record.
Pushing performance, pushing e-mobility! Jon DeSouza, managing director of Harting Americas (left), and driver Rainer Zietlow set a salient example of long-distance electrocar driving with the ID.4 Challenge.
Their actual goal: To prove the endurance of electric cars.
After 97 days, the tour was completed and the ID.4 electric SUV rolled up at its destination – the Volkswagen headquarters in Herndon, USA. The team comprising Rainer Zietlow, professional long-distance driver and founder of the event agency Challenge4, and photographer Derek Collins, who took pictures of the extensive tour. Traveling over 56,000 km and traversing 48 states, they have successfully completed the longest journey by an electric vehicle in a single country, beating the previous record two times over.
The Harting Technology Group actively supported the challenge, underlining its commitment to sustainability and the reduction of CO2 emissions. As a Tier 1 supplier of electric cables to VW, Harting supports the transition to e-mobility with its robust, reliable and user-friendly charging solutions and connectors for e-vehicles – and declares war on advancing climate change.
“The record not only documents the reliability of the ID.4, but also to the actual readiness status of the charging infrastructure in the U.S.,” said Zietlow, commenting on his success, which had put in a stop at 208 charging stations by the end of the tour.
“We know that one of the biggest barriers to switching to electric vehicles is the concern that there will not be enough charging stations available or that the vehicles themselves are not suitable for long-distance journeys. We’re here to prove that an electric vehicle is a decidedly viable solution, whether you’re only driving short distances or off on a road trip across the country. The technology is there. The infrastructure is in place,” said Jon DeSouza, managing director Harting Americas.
“We need strong statements like this to advance electromobility even further. Congratulations to the whole team. We are looking forward to future opportunities to demonstrate the performance of our e-mobility solutions,” added Marco Grinblats, managing director of Harting Automotive.
More information and pictures of the challenge are available at vwid4-usatour.com.
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