Skoda has set a new range record for a seven-seat EV with its new Peaq covering almost 1,000km (621 miles) on a single charge.
As the Czech brand opens order books for its first all-electric seven-seat SUV a team of two employees set out to see if it could exceed its official WLTP range of 391 miles.
Driving from Skoda’s HQ in Mladá Boleslav to Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Marek Jež and Jakub Krs covered a total of 936km (581.6 miles) – 306km more than the official figures.
The duo, who both worked on the Peaq’s development, used a completely standard Skoda Peaq 90 fitted with the 86kWh battery and 282bhp rear-mounted motor, running on 19-inch wheels and low rolling-resistance tyres. The only modification from standard was to have the charge port sealed before departure.
The record was overseen by vehicle testing body TUV Sud and the Czech Book of Records.
“Our goal was to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology at the very limit of its potential. To achieve the maximum possible range, we carefully selected the most suitable route and, naturally, an appropriate driving style,” said Jakub, chief battery officer for the Peaq project.
“An average user would probably never drive the car this way. Instead, they would make full use of the Peaq’s dynamic performance, onboard infotainment and comfort features,” added Peaq project leader Marek.
The pair’s journey from Skoda’s home in the north of Czechia to Zandvoort, west of Amsterdam, took them through Germany and saw them use smaller secondary roads with lower speeds and less traffic in an effort to maximise their efficiency. By the end of the drive, close to the Netherland’s famous F1 circuit, they had achieved efficiency of 9.2 kWh/100 km (6.75m/kWh), far exceeding the Peaq’s WLTP consumption figure of 14.7kWh/100km (4.23m/kWh).
“Smooth driving at a constant speed is one of the key conditions for achieving maximum range,” Marek noted. “This involves more than simply maintaining a set speed. It also means avoiding hard acceleration, which consumes large amounts of energy, as well as heavy braking or coming to a complete stop, all of which require additional energy to regain speed afterwards. Balancing these requirements with the realities of traffic conditions across three countries proved to be the greatest challenge of the entire journey.”
The team had initially planned to stop in Amsterdam – 850km from their starting point. But thanks to their efficiency decided to push on towards the coast, eventually running out of charge after 936km of driving – the furthest travelled by any seven-seat electric car.
