Ajax, Ontario — Rainer Zietlow recently drove a Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicle across Canada, stopping just 18 times to recharge—a feat the adventure driver has won a Guinness World Record for.
Zietlow and his cameraman, Elric Popp, departed St. John’s, Nfld., on July 25, 2023. The pair traversed 7,133 kilometres across Canada, making just 18 stops at charging stations over the eight-day journey. They ended their drive in Victoria, B.C. on Aug. 1, 2023.
Zietlow is now the Guinness World Record holder for “crossing Canada with the fewest charges of an electric vehicle.” Now he’s making another journey, in the opposite direction, stopping at 145 VW dealers across the nation to spread news of his mission.
“I hope [my achievement] will provide Canadians with confidence in the long-distance capabilities of electric vehicles and the continuously improving charging infrastructure in Canada,” said Zietlow in a press release from VW.
“The Volkswagen family is thrilled to celebrate Rainer’s new Guinness World Record,” said Pierre Boutin, VW Canada’s president and CEO. “We are excited that availability of the ID.4 model continues to expand so more Canadians can take their own electric adventures around the country.”
When we asked ChatGPT how many times you’d have to fill up your gas tank if you were to travel the some-7,300 kilometres across Canada, the AI chat generator said it would take approximately 150 refills. According to this post from 2020, two men drove a from B.C. to Nova Scotia in a Tesla Model 3, making approximately 40 charging stops along the three-day journey.
Click here to view photos and videos from Zietlow and Popp’s journey.
The post Coast to Coast in 18 Charges: VW ID.4 travels across Canada and achieves Guinness World Record appeared first on Collision Repair Magazine.
