Electric cars have come a long way—literally. Quite a few electric cars have made it all the way around the world
, but now they’re reaching new heights, like one Volkswagen
ID.4 GTX that took a twelve-day journey to the base of Cerro Uturuncu, a dormant stratovolcano in Bolivia. Jerry
has everything you need to know about the exciting feat. Scientists drove an ID.4 GTX up a volcano
According to Electrek
, world record professional driver Rainer Zietlow accompanied by a team of three scientists decided to make the trek starting in Santiago, Chile. Zietlow has previously made a few other record-breaking journeys and has always done so in a Volkswagen. Among his many achievements, in 2005 he set an altitude record in Chile with a Volkswagen Touareg V6
, and went on to complete the first natural-gas-powered circumnavigation of the globe in 2006/2007 using a Volkswagen Caddy EcoFuel. In 2013 he set the record for the longest distance driven in a single country using several Volkswagen Amaroks. In 2020, Zietlow set the longest distance driven within a country by an electric vehicle to date in a Volkswagen ID.3, visiting every single location of the approximately 830 VW dealerships and 650 fast-charging stations throughout Germany in the process.
How Zietlow did it
Zietlow’s latest drive started in Santiago, Chile, and took twelve total days to complete, but they had already broken the record by day eleven. The team headed north through Argentina to the Sur Lípez province of Bolivia, where the base of Cerro Uturuncu is located.
The team climbed an elevation of 19,081 feet, beating the previously-held record of 18,933 feet. This successful climb earned Zietlow his fifth Guinness World Record and proved to the world that electric vehicles can go just about anywhere that gas-powered cars can.
A new peak for the ID.4 GTX
The ID.4 first began production in 2020 as VW’s first all-electric crossover SUV. Unlike many other electric SUVs of the time, the ID.4 was marketed as an affordable, mass-market EV, meant to appeal to all buyers. That philosophy is definitely reflected in the affordable price point, which goes as low as $33,730 after a $7,500 federal tax credit.
The EPA-estimated driving range of the ID.4 Pro is 275 miles, and it charges about 70 miles per every 10 minutes at a DC fast charger.
The GTX is an upgraded version of the consumer model and has features like a chassis with a sports suspension to keep it level on any terrain. While the GTX is not available at the consumer level, the ID.4 can be upgraded to an all-wheel-drive model that gets an extra 94 horsepower. The highest-trim tier, the Pro S trim, also comes with 12-way power front seats, leatherette seating surfaces, and a hands-free power liftgate.
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