The Volkswagen ID.4 GTX driven by Rainer Zietlow and his Challenge4 team broke the Guinness World Record for the highest altitude (5,816 meters) achieved by an electric vehicle. The previous record was set in 2020 with a height of 5,771 meters.
On 18 May 2022 Zietlow drove a Volkswagen ID.4 GTX to the top of Bolivia’s Uturuncu volcano at 5,816 meters above sea level. The team was awarded the official Guinness World Records certificate in La Paz, Bolivia on 23 May.
The Volkswagen ID.4 GTX used to break this record uses all-wheel drive. It uses a battery with a capacity of 82 kWh (77 kWh usable) and a range of about 340 km (210 miles).
To get to Uturuncu in Bolivia, Rainer Zietlow and the Challenge4 team were greatly helped by the Enel X Way charging infrastructure installed in various hotels. To reach the top of the Uturuncu volcano itself takes 4 hours 20 minutes.
See also: Volkswagen start production ID.4 in Emden, Germany
Rainer Zietlow and Volkswagen ID.4 aren’t the only ones to break records for electric vehicles. Earlier in 2021, Rainer Zietlow broke the record for the longest continuous journey using an electric vehicle in a single country by driving through the US using a Volkswagen ID.4.
In contrast to vehicles with internal combustion engines which would have problems with the thin mountain air, electric vehicles do not experience this problem. Vehicles with internal combustion engines will lose power towards the top because they require oxygen for combustion.
Another thing that really helped to break this record is the electric all-wheel-drive system which can be suitable for off-road terrain.
See also: Zhiji L7 Sets Guinness World Record with Drifts 43.6 km on Wet Surface
the batteries used are manufactured by LG Energy Solution, which is a supplier of battery cells and modules for Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 manufactured in Europe.
Meanwhile, Maxion Wheels, the world’s largest wheel manufacturer, provides 18-inch mild steel alloy wheels.
