Electromobility is gaining ground in Germany. Not only the number of battery-driven electric models offered and their registrations are growing, infrastructure is expanding as well. The long-distant record-breaking driver from Mannheim, Rainer Zietlow, and his co-driver Dominic Brüner are now carrying out the ultimate road test.
Over the course of a unique two-month marathon, they will be stopping at around 650 quick-charging stations with more than 60 kW charging capacity. They will be testing the long-distance qualities of the new Volkswagen ID.3 as well as the infrastructure in Germany. They are driving a pre-production model of the ID.3 Pro S with a 77kWh net battery energy capacity. The battery offers a range of up to 549 km in a WLTP cycle and will be brought to market in spring 2021.
In racing circles, Rainer Zietlow has made a name for himself as a long-distance specialist. His worldwide record-breaking projects with Volkswagen models including three World Records and seven long-distance records took him to 130 different countries. His marathon tour, around 20,000 kilometres long, will take him all over Germany. He will recharge the car almost entirely with environmentally friendly green electricity. The focus is on the new VW ID.3 Pro S with its 77 kWh battery, Germany’s quick-charging station network and Volkswagen’s We Charge service. Over the coming two months, he and his team will report on their experiences online. Students of the Hochschule der Medien (Stuttgart University of Media Studies) in Stuttgart will provide daily updates, photographs and videos from the road.
The Institute of Transport Logistics (ITL) at the Technical University of Dortmund calculated the efficient route through as many areas of Germany as possible. The team is starting on 28 September at 2 p.m. from Germany’s southernmost hotel near Oberstdorf and is finishing at Germany’s northernmost car park, west of List on Sylt. A visit to the SOS Children’s Village in Bernburg on the Saale is scheduled as well. A share of the advertising proceeds from the tour will be donated to its housing project. Partners of the marathon tour include ADS-TEC Energy, Alpitronic, CAR-connect, E.ON Drive, Hankook Reifen, hastobe gmbh, Infineon Technologies, Intercity Hotel, MOON, Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, Tank & Rast, We Charge and Volkswagen AG.
