VW and battery makers LG have claimed a new Guinness world record altitude run for an electric car after driving a Volkswagen ID.4 GTX up a Bolivian volcano to a height of 5,816 metres.
The Challenge 4 team led by German long-distance driving adventurer Rainer Zietlow drove up the dormant Uturuncu volcano in Bolivia in an ID.4 GTX powered by LG Energy Solutions’ battery cells and modules that employ high energy density for long-distance driving, high-speed charging, and, vitally, high-altitude drives.
LG Energy Solution said the new milestone adds to the longest EV journey achieved in 2021, also with an LG battery.
“Our goal was to show everyone the potential of electromobility by demonstrating how electric vehicles maintain their top level of performance even at extreme altitudes,” said Zietlow. “Electric propulsion even has an advantage at such altitudes,” he adds “because it is not dependent on oxygen in the air.”
The Volkswagen ID.4 GTX has a battery of 77kWh which supports a range of about 340 km. On its way to Uturuncu, the team relied on Enel X Way’s charging infrastructure as it travelled through Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. In 2020, Enel X Way installed chargers every 150 km along the same route for Scottish actor Ewan McGregor’s “The Long Way Up” electric bike ride.
