Volkswagen ID.Buzz aiming for EV world record

A VW ID.Buzz driver is aiming to break the world record for the most countries visited on one trip in an EV.

Rainer Zietlow, an eight-time Guinness World holder will be tackling the drive across 75 countries over a period of eight months starting at the VW Bus plant in Hannover, Germany. The route will take him across Europe, Indonesia, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, the USA, and Canada.

His VW ID.Buzz has been fitted with an additional high-voltage AC charger which can convert the energy to DC for the battery for when a fast charger isn’t available, or there is a different standard for DC charging. A parts supply for the ID.Buzz has also been secured in the event of an emergency.

For the most part, Zietlow’s trip will be taken in the VW ID.Buzz, with just ship passages and necessary interruptions for customs clearance serving as breaks.

“I’ve travelled to more than 110 countries so far, and have already made it to Qatar with the ID.Buzz’s predecessor,” said Zielow. “With the 86kWh battery in the Buzz, we can achieve a range of 400 kilometres (248 miles), so I can also cover stages through sparsely populated areas of the route.

VW Commercial Vehicles brand manager, Lars Krause added: “We are very impressed that Rainer has the courage and expertise to take on a world tour like this. I travel a lot of long distances in the ID. Buzz myself and can report that the topic of charging is no longer a problem, certainly in Europe. With his tour, Rainer’s team will inspire many people to switch to an all-electric vehicle.”

Zietlow’s EV adventure is not the first of its kind. In 2023, Chris and Julie Ramsey set off on their Plug-In Adventure. The journey covered more than 18,000 miles across 14 countries, and marked the first time that any vehicle had made the journey from the 1823 Magnetic North Pole to the South Pole.

The vehicle the Ramseys used was a modified Nissan Ariya featuring 39-inch wheels and a protective underside.