Electric Vehicles That Have Earned a Place in the World Guinness Records

Being listed in the World Guinness Records is an honor that many people would like to have. Whatever your niche or activity, earning such recognition boosts your prestige. No wonder electric vehicle manufacturers are eager to push the boundaries of their products to be listed as a Guinness Record holder. Many try, but just a few earn the recognition. So, in this article, we will review some of the Guinness Records that have been earned by some electric vehicles in different categories.

Fastest Indoor Land Speed by an All-Electric Car

Electric cars are here to stay. The major car manufacturers have slowly begun shifting toward electric technology only. Carmakers that have been known for making fast gasoline cars are shifting toward fast electric cars. It was expected, wasn’t it? That’s the case with Porsche. This German manufacturer has earned a reputation for making fast and luxurious sports cars. The company has recently created the all-electric Taycan Turbo S car.

In a bid to demonstrate the capabilities of this electric vehicle, Porsche set out to earn the World Guinness Record for indoor speed. The previous record was 86 mph. In February 2021, the bid to break the record took place in New Orleans, US. The Taycan reached a whopping 102.6 mph, shattering the previous record by 13.6 mph. The previous record was established seven years ago. Now, Porsche demonstrated that its reputation for building fast cars extends to the realm of electric vehicles also.

The pilot in charge of driving the Taycan car for this feat was Leh Keen, an experienced racer. The conditions that World Guinness Records set to make the record valid are daunting. For example, Keen was forced to start and end his bid at a standstill. Considering that everything has to take place inside a building, the record attempt was quite challenging. Luckily, Keen made it and gave Porsche its fourth Guinness Record.

Longest Journey on an Electric Bicycle

While most attention is focused on electric cars, others vehicles have been adopting electric technology also. That’s the case of electric bicycles, which are fitted with an electric motor to provide pedal assistance. Isn’t a motorized bicycle an electric motorbike? Not at all! Electric bikes still require the pedaling of the rider to travel. Granted, there are some electric bikes with a throttle mode. We’ll talk about them later.

However, using an electric bike with a pedal-assist mode only, Ravindra Kempaiah inscribed his name in the list of World Guinness Records. He completed the longest journey on an e-bike, a feat that took place in the summer of 2016. The journey took Kempaiah through 12 states in the US. He traveled 5,100 miles in just 34 days. However, documenting his journey to apply for the recognition of his record was not easy.

Kempaiah had to log his daily mileage, which was verified by an independent witness. All the details of his route had to be included in the log including stops and breaks. After completing his trip, Kempaiah spent seven months preparing all the necessary materials for his application. His efforts paid off, his long journey was recognized with a Guinness Record.

Kempaiah, who is originally from India, began his odyssey on July 18, 2016, in Madison, WI. He completed his trip on an e-bike on August 20, 2016, in San Diego, CA. Being an enthusiast of electric bicycles, Kempaiah will make other record attempts, including an intercontinental trip of 15,000 miles. He expects to complete it in 75 days.

Greatest Distance Traveled on an Electric Bicycle

This record is not the same as described above. In this case, the Guinness Record is the greatest distance traveled on an electric bike using a single battery charge. This distance is commonly referred to as the range of an electric bike. This Guinness Record belongs to Delfast, a Ukrainian company that manufactures high-performing e-bikes. The record stands at 228 miles. It was set by Vitalii Anhipnik on October 12, 2017. The feat took place at Kiev Velodrome in the capital of Ukraine. The model Prime electric bike was the vehicle used to set this record.

The Prime model was the predecessor of the current flagship product of Delfast, the TOP 3.0 electric bicycle. The main reason to achieve such an impressive range is the high-capacity battery used in these vehicles. Delfast doesn’t compromise the quality of the battery. The battery that the Prime e-bike used to set the record was a 48V 68Ah Lithium-ion battery. Recently, Delfast announced an upgrade to the type of battery. Its most recent model, the TOP 3.0, features a 72V 48Ah battery. A new Guinness Record is in line?

Other World Guinness Records Set By Electric Bicycles

Besides the two Guinness Records described above, there have been other attempts using electric bikes. One of these attempts consisted of the largest group ride on electric bikes. Three hundred cyclists gathered to set the record in 2016, but the attempt was not officially recognized by the Guinness Records committee.

The fastest e-bike World Guinness Record was set in 2010. It stands at 165 mph, which was maintained for 7.77 seconds over a distance of a quarter of a mile. Another interesting Guinness Record was recognized during an e-bike exhibition in China. The record recognizes the longest e-bike, which has places for 8 people in a row.