Distance records for electric vehicles are nothing new, but generally the main objective is complete the challenge in the fastest time possible. Electric cars represent a new type of challenge, however, by combining a distance record with – critically – the minimum charging time possible.
Dr. Jeff Allan and his son, Ben Cottam-Allan from Birmingham have won a Guinness World Record for the Shortest Charging Time driving an Electric car from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
They drove there and back again in the record time of 19 hours 46 minutes, and 18 hours 53 minutes in a Tesla Model S P85D. The Guinness World Record was awarded for charging the car for a mere 3 hours 43 minutes to achieve the eight hundred and sixty mile southbound journey. In addition, more than £1,000 was raised for The Alzheimer’s Society.
Carolyn McDonald, Community Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society said: “We are really grateful to Jeff and Ben for their fundraising efforts as the money raised will help fund valuable services for people living with dementia. It’s brilliant that their novel take on the John O’Groats to Land’s End challenge has brought them a Guinness World Record and I hope it stands the test of time.”
The first record for an Electric car to travel from Land’s End to John O’Groats was set in 2011 by David Peilow and Kevin Sharpe in a Tesla Roadster. They completed the journey over a period of two days, as the charging infrastructure was not as abundant as it is today. Jeff and Ben did it in less than half the time, stopping just six times to charge the car. They had to submit evidence to Guinness World Records including a digital record, witness signatures and an analysis by two independent experts to win the award.
“We are thrilled to have a Guinness World Record” said Jeff, “Our next trip will be much longer – from Norway to Spain” added Ben.
The journey and record is testament to what is now possible with electric vehicles and helps dispel the myth that EVs are only suitable for short distances.
Source; www.jeffvehicles.com
