Those complaining that electric cars can’t go fast enough on one charge might want to take a look at the next edition of Guinness World Records. That’s because a team from Webfleet – a telematics and fleet management company which is part of Bridgestone – just managed to squeeze 916.74km out of one charge in an electric vehicle (EV).
This wasn’t some space-age, single-seat, ultra-aerodynamic EV either. It was a regular, you-can-buy-one-yourself Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, specifically the Premium Extended Range RWD Auto with its 91kWh battery pack. Officially, that comes with a range of 504km on the WLTP [Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure] test, so the Bridgestone/Webfleet team have almost doubled that range.
Equally, this was not a laboratory-based test, and the team wasn’t driving as if part of a funeral procession. The Mustang was driven across 24 hours on a mix of urban and rural roads across Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Cambridgeshire, in an effort to stick to real-world driving conditions.
The only modification to the car, perhaps unsurprisingly, was that it was fitted with the latest Bridgestone tyres, which in theory reduce rolling resistance and add a bit of efficiency. They certainly seem to work, as the team averaged 9.9kW/100km during the drive.
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That team consisted of Webfleet-sponsored drivers Kevin Booker and Sam Clarke, supported by co-pilot Richard Parker of Webfleet. “This record is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in this endeavour,” said Beverley Wise, Webfleet’s regional director for Bridgestone Mobility Solutions. “It represents a significant milestone in the electrification of road transport and demonstrates the potential of electric vehicles when supported by innovative Bridgestone tyre design and advanced fleet management technology.”
Kevin Booker, who along with Clarke also holds the record for distance covered in an electric van on one charge (it’s 501km if you’re asking), said: “Breaking this record has been an exhilarating journey and a powerful demonstration of what electric vehicles can achieve. It is incredible to see how far we have come with EV technology and efficiency. We hope this inspires more people to consider electric vehicles for their everyday travel.”
Clarke and Booker both hold previous records for fuel economy and energy consumption in electric vehicles – including that van record. They have now amassed five and two driving-related Guinness World Records titles respectively.
So is 916km the best that can be done? Well, not quite. Back in 2022, Mercedes took an experimental EQXX electric car and drove it from Stuttgart all the way to Cassis, on the Côte d’Azur on the sunny south coast of France. Along the way, it coped with temperatures close to freezing, high Alpine passes, and 140km/h blasts along the Autobahn.
At the end of the trip, the EQXX had covered 1,008km in 11 hours and 30 minutes, and still had a 15 per cent charge left in its battery, good for about 140km. There were no sneaky top-ups en route, either. The car’s charging flap was sealed by independent adjudicators from the TÜV, Germany’s weights-and-measures experts.
Part of that remarkable range was assisted by the car’s solar roof. Once free of the 3-degrees Celsius weather (with drizzle) in Stuttgart, the solar roof came into its own once south of the Alps, and Mercedes reckoned that it contributed 25km of extra range to the total. Even so, that was not an official record as it wasn’t observed by the Guinness people.
It’s a remarkable achievement, but Mercedes is, apparently, not the only one to manage four-figure ranges from one battery charge. While the Mercedes route to a four-figure range is taking an existing 100kWh battery and making the car around it as efficient and aerodynamically slick as possible, Our Next Energy’s (One’s) approach is slightly different, in that it’s combining two different battery chemistries in one unit, called the Gemini.
One, based in Michigan, has already caught the eyes (and wallets) of such blue-chip investors as BMW, Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Such investment isn’t a guarantee of success or innovation, of course – companies and individuals regularly make broad investments in small start-ups, hoping that one of them hits the big time – but One’s tech does at least seem to have made some real-world progress.
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The Gemini battery combines a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) section for everyday driving distances, which is a smart idea as LFP batteries are more robust than their more powerful lithium-ion cousins, and don’t mind being charged up all the time. The Gemini battery has a second section, though. This one uses high-density anode-free cells for longer drives.
One claims that this battery uses 20 per cent less graphite and 60 per cent less nickel and cobalt than lithium-ion cells, making the battery pack itself more sustainable. And longer-ranged, it would seem. The One team managed to coax 980km out of the BMW iX – although again, this isn’t an official record as it’s not been recorded by Guinness World Records.
There’s also the catch that the Gemini battery is large – it weighs 710kg, although in fairness it does pack a whopping 185kWh on a full charge. No wonder it goes so far.
“Electric vehicles will achieve mass adoption when they offer enough range that people will feel comfortable having an EV as their only vehicle,” said Mujeeb Ijaz, chief executive and founder of One. “The Gemini battery has proven it can double the range of EVs and break down the biggest barrier to electrification.”
BMW has also impressed with the tech. “The 900-plus kilometres achieved by the BMW iX equipped with Gemini is an impressive demonstration,” said Jürgen Hildinger, BMW head of new technologies. “We enjoy working with the team at One and look forward to taking the next steps together.”
