VW ID.3 completes 17,500-mile trip — showing what electric car charging infrastructure can enable

A duo of German drivers completed a two-month, 17,500-mile (28,198 km) trip in a VW ID.3 electric car.

The trip was used to show the capacity of the charging infrastructure, and they set a new world record while doing it.

That world record is for the “longest continuous EV drive through a single country.”

Rainer Zietlow and Dominic Brüner spent the last 65 days traveling across Germany from Oberstdorf to Sylt in a brand new VW ID.3 electric car.

Considering VW just recently started deliveries of the new electric car, they likely put more mileage on it than anyone, resulting in a pretty good stress test.

But they were actually using a version of the car, the Volkswagen ID.3 Pro S, that isn’t available for delivery just yet.

It has a battery capacity of 77 kWh enabling a range of “up to 549 km in the WLTP cycle.”

The trip was more about testing the German charging network — traveling using VW’s We Charge system to access the charging stations and using the vehicle’s 125 kW top charge rate.

Zietlow commented on their experience:

“An inquisitive nature and many questions about electric mobility were two constant companions on our tour, most of all at the quick-charging stations and the many dealerships we stopped at over the course of the ID.3 Germany tour. The charging infrastructure is already relatively well developed nowadays. 652 stations were compatible with We Charge. However, at some sites there is still potential for improvement, for instance, some charging stations are located off the beaten track or they are poorly lit at night.”

Volkswagen was happy with the performance of the vehicle and the charging network:

“Not just the charging stations, but also the VW ID.3 demonstrated that electric mobility in Germany is efficient and suitable for everyday challenges. On average, the test vehicle consumed 19 kWh per 100 km covered during this marathon test drive while the longest stretch without charging was 420 kilometres.”

The Volkswagen ID.3 Pro S will be launched in spring 2021.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.