- Volkswagen's ID.4 GTX, piloted by Rainer Zietlow, raised the record for all-electric production cars to 5,816 meters above sea level.
- The vehicle was powered by Enel X Way's charging infrastructure, allowing the trip to reach its highest point.
Bolivia, May 23, 2022. - Professional long-distance driver Rainer Zietlow has once again proved the endurance of electric cars. He and his team of three drove a Volkswagen ID.4 GTX to Bolivia, where they set their sights on the world's highest mining road on the Uturuncu volcano. After a long pandemic period, the community of Quetena, at the foot of the volcano, had restored tourism.
"Our goal was to show that electric mobility can deliver high performance even at extreme altitudes," says Rainer Zietlow. "Electric propulsion even has an advantage at such altitudes because it is not dependent on oxygen in the air. It was great to use the ENEL X Way wall box infrastructure on our way to the volcano."
On April 21, the owner of CHALLENGE 4 Gmbh and his team left Santiago. They traveled through Argentina to Bolivia in the Volkswagen ID. 4 GTX and a Volkswagen Amarok from GAMMA as a support vehicle. After a week, they arrived at the base camp in Quetena Chico.
The Volkswagen ID.4 GTX has a battery of 77kWh (net), which means a range of about 340 km. On its way to Uturuncu, the team relied on Enel X Way's charging infrastructure in the three countries it traveled through (Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia). In 2020, the project's energy partner, Enel X Way, installed chargers every 150 km along the route for Scottish actor Ewan McGregor's "The Long Way Up" electric bike ride.
“As Enel X Way in Chile, we have a single action focus: accelerating the transition to more sustainable mobility. Our commitment is to electromobility, and we are happy to be partners in this project that breaks a new world record today. Electric mobility is a reality that is penetrating different spheres and areas", said Jean-Paul Zalaquett, general manager of Enel X Way Chile.
This Monday, a representative of Guinness presented Rainer Zietlow with the Guinness World Record certificate at the German Embassy in La Paz.
Find more information and photos on our official campaign website: www.vwid4-highaltitude.com.
Rainer Zietlow, through CHALLENGE4, supports the SOS Children's Village in La Paz with his world record run.