A Volkswagen ID. Buzz has returned to Hanover after travelling almost 100,000km through 92 countries — and apparently brought most of its battery health home with it.
Long-distance driver Rainer Zietlow completed the 99,767km journey over 445 days, crossing six continents in a long-wheelbase ID. Buzz before returning to the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Customer Centre where the van was built.
The trip has now been recognised by Guinness World Records for the most countries visited in a continuous journey by a battery-electric vehicle.
More interesting from an EV ownership perspective is what happened to the battery.
Following the journey, TÜV Nord certified the ID. Buzz’s high-voltage battery at 95.75% state of health. Volkswagen also said the vehicle completed the entire trip without a technical breakdown.
The route involved more than 300 charging cycles and 16 container-ship crossings, with conditions ranging from cities and highways to deserts and mountain roads.
Charging was not always straightforward. Zietlow said public infrastructure was virtually absent in parts of Africa, forcing the team to charge at national substations under supervision in some countries.
Other markets were considerably easier. He singled out China as particularly well developed, while Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Chile had made major progress.
One vehicle cannot show how every ID. Buzz battery will age. But retaining 95.75% battery health after nearly 100,000km around the world is still impressive.
