Their actual goal: To prove the endurance of electric cars.

After 97 days, the tour was completed and the ID.4 electric SUV rolled up at its destination – the Volkswagen headquarters in Herndon, USA. The team comprising Rainer Zietlow, professional long-distance driver and founder of the event agency Challenge4, and photographer Derek Collins, who took pictures of the extensive tour. Travelling a distance of over 56,000 kilometres and transversing 48 states in the USA, they have successfully completed the longest journey by an electric vehicle in a single country, beating the previous record two times over.

The HARTING Technology Group actively supported the Challenge, underlining its commitment to sustainability and the reduction of CO2 emissions. As a Tier 1 supplier of electric cables to VW, HARTING supports the transition to e-mobility with its robust, reliable and user-friendly charging solutions and connectors for e-vehicles – and declares war on advancing climate change.

"The record not only documents the reliability of the ID.4, but also to the actual readiness status of the charging infrastructure in the US," as Zietlow comments on his success, which had put in a stop at 208 charging stations by the end of the tour.

Jon DeSouza, Managing Director HARTING Americas, underlines: "We know that one of the biggest barriers to switching to electric vehicles is the concern that there will not be enough charging stations available or that the vehicles themselves are not suitable for long-distance journeys. We’re here to prove that an electric vehicle is a decidedly viable solution, whether you’re only driving short distances or off on a road trip across the country. The technology is there. The infrastructure is in place."

As Marco Grinblats, Managing Director of HARTING Automotive GmbH, added: "We need strong statements like this to advance electromobility even further. Congratulations to the whole team. We are looking forward to future opportunities to demonstrate the performance of our e-mobility solutions."