ZEEKR, a brand in the Geely group dedicated to EVs, has set two new Guinness World Records for electric cars – one for the fastest drift and the other for the fastest through a slalom. The records were achieved less than a year since the brand started delivering cars to customers in China.
The fastest EV drift requires the vehicle to achieve greater than 160 km/h and the 001 model was able to reach a maximum speed of 207.996 km/h. The EV has a high-performance dual electric drive powertrain which generates instantaneous torque of up to 7,680 Nm. It is capable of going from standstill to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.
Of course, when you hit such a high speed and put the car sideways, superior control is needed and ZEEKR says that the 001’s high-performance chassis suspension system maximizes body stability so the driver can maintain consistent and precise drifting right on the edge of the performance envelope.
For the second record, the 001 weaved between 50 cones equally spaced and completed the course, without touching or knocking any down, in 49.05 seconds. The stability and precision were maximized by the electric 4-wheel drive, with the intelligent power distribution and the balance between the front and rear wheels allowing the 001 to switch directions qucikly as it travelled at high speed around each cone .
The records were set recently under the supervision of an adjudicator from the Guinness World Records organization at the CATARC proving ground in China.
These days, it seems that the fully electric Porsche Taycan is setting a new record every few months. Many are speed-related and demonstrate the performance that would be expected of a Porsche. Recently, a Taycan Cross Turismo set another new record which has gone into the the Guinness World Record book and it’s one which sets a new benchmark.
The Taycan Cross Turismo, on its journey, made the greatest altitude change ever achieved by an electric car – 4,842.967 metres – going from inside a mine to the top of the famous Pikes Peak that is at the end of an annual hillclimb event.
A ‘what if?’ project
The sportscar was driven by a J.F. Musial and his team who are usually behind the camera, creating automotive films and TV shows. Motivated by curiosity, they decided to take the Porsche from the lowest point they could access in America to one of the highest. Their journey covered more than 2,250 kms between the two points.
“It started as a ‘what if?’ – a passion project, mixing our love for cars and travel and taking it to extremes,” explained Musial. “We wanted to drive from the lowest point in America to one of the highest, Pikes Peak – where we’ve spent countless hours filming the famous hillclimb. The project relied on a lot of goodwill, and a car that’s pretty much unique in its mix of abilities.”
Going deep underground
The lowest point in America is Badwater Basin in Death Valley -t 86 metres below sea level. To go any deeper, you have to go underground. And so the team did exactly that, with the cooperation of Eagle Mine in the state of Michigan. The nickel and copper mine is the only mine in America where a car can be driven to sufficient depths, down a ramp usually used by specialist mining vehicles.
Due to the Taycan Cross Turismo being a pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) as well as being capable off-road with its raised ride height and all-wheel drive, it met Eagle Mine’s criteria for being allowed to drive through the portal and into the tunnel itself and down to 540.8 metres below sea level.
The Taycan Cross Turismo was an ideal choice as it is one of very few cars in the world with the right mix of capabilities to be able to attempt the trip. It needed no modification and even used completely standard road tyres.
“It was fitting to have the Porsche Taycan drive to the bottom of our nickel and copper mine, as both elements are essential to electric vehicles. After numerous risk assessments, safety discussions, and detailed planning, our mine team was up to the challenge. We are proud to have worked with Porsche to safely execute and complete a new world record,” said Darby Stacey, Managing Director of Eagle Mine.
Climbing almost 5 kms vertically
With their precise depth measured and verified by specialist surveyors, the team emerged from the mine just after dawn and began their journey to Pikes Peak in the state of Colorado. The journey was among the most demanding the car and team had ever experienced. It would take them across 6 states, and would ascend 4,842.967 metres – without ever leaving the ground.
The oxygen available to them at the start of the journey fell by 40% by the time they reached the top of the mountain. However, the electric powertrain – unlike a combustion engine – did not suffer from the effects of thinner air. Nevertheless, the varied conditions, including snow and ice, gave the Taycan Cross Turismo a strong challenge.
In total, 3 groups of drivers working in tandem took on the driving duties. They conducted the whole attempt by the book, with separate, sealed GPS devices monitoring their route and altitude throughout – along with an analogue altimeter and witness logs to satisfy the strict Guinness World Records requirements.
Fittingly it was Dai Yoshihara – class winner at the 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – behind the wheel for the final, record-breaking stage of the drive. The team of record-breakers had covered a total of nearly 5 kms straight up, and 2,274 kms along the ground, in 33 hours and 48 minutes.
Just like the performance of cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) kept rising as the technology evolved and advanced (and continues to do so), the same has been happening with electric cars. Considered only suitable as golf course buggies initially, today’s electric cars can match ICE cars in many aspects of performance though the most powerful are still at the expensive upper end due to the more advanced technologies which are more costly.
The Taycan – Porsche’s all-electric sportscar – is one example and those who have driven it have been amazed by its performance. Now that is further demonstrated by a Guinness World Record for the longest drift with an electric vehicle.
55 minutes of drifting
The record was set at the Porsche Experience Centre (PEC) in Hockenheimring, Germany. Porsche instructor Dennis Retera did 210 laps on the 200 metre-long drift circle without the front wheels ever pointing in the same direction as the curve. In 55 minutes, the sideways expert covered a total of 42.171 kms.
By completing this marathon distance, Retera secured the world record for the longest continuous drift in an electric car. The average speed was 46 km/h. The record was achieved with the rear-wheel drive version of the Taycan (on sale in China).
The attempt took place under the supervision of Guinness World Records official record judge Joanne Brent on the irrigated driving dynamics area of the PEC. “We’ve had some drift records but with an electric sportscar, it’s something very special for us too. Here Porsche has done real pioneering work,” said Brent, who has been supervising record attempts of all kinds for Guinness World Records for over 5 years.
Record meticulously documented
The Guinness representative meticulously documented the record with a whole range of technical aids and other independent experts. This included a local land surveyor who measured the 80-metre diameter area of the drift pad with millimetre precision. GPS and yaw rate sensors within the vehicle were used for documentation purposes, as was a camera installed on the roof of the track’s control tower, with which the record ride was filmed.
Another independent expert was Denise Ritzmann. Prior to the record attempt, the engineer confirmed the standard and roadworthy condition of the Taycan on behalf of testing organisation DEKRA. Ritzmann knows all about drifting – she was European drifting champion in 2018 and 2019 and was also responsible for ensuring the Taycan remained in a permanent drift throughout the record attempt.”
“You can see at a glance whether the front wheels are pointing in a different direction to the curve. As long as this is the case, the car is drifting,” she explained. Together with Brent, she also counted the laps completed during the record attempt.
“When the driving stability programmes are switched off, a powerslide with the electric Porsche is extremely easy, especially of course with this model variant, which is driven exclusively via the rear wheels,” said Retera, the man behind the wheel of the Taycan. “Sufficient power is always available. The low centre of gravity and the long wheelbase ensure stability. The precise design of the chassis and steering allows for perfect control at all times, even when moving sideways”.
“Nevertheless, it was also very tiring for me to keep my concentration high for 210 laps, especially as the irrigated asphalt of the drift circuit does not provide the same grip everywhere,” he admitted. “I concentrated on controlling the drift with the steering – this is more efficient than using the accelerator pedal and reduces the risk of spinning.”
The new record set by the Taycan joins over 53,000 Guinness World Records. Every year, about 8,000 new records are added from around the world.
Already setting other records
The Taycan has already set other records as well. One of them is a gruelling 24-hour endurance run over 3,425 kms on the high-speed track in Nardo, Italy; the best time in its class on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife, and 26 sprints from a standing start to 200 km/h at an airfield.
A slalom is a driving exercise where you pilot a car in between cones as fast as you can. It seems easy enough swinging the car left and right but to do it at speed requires judgement so you don’t hit the cones and also managing the speed so you don’t slide out.
Recently, a 16-year old driver, Chloe Chambers, set a new world record for driving through a slalom with a time of 47.45 seconds. The time, officially recognised by the Guinness World Records organisation as the Fastest Vehicle Slalom, beat a previous record of 48.114 seconds set in China with a Chevrolet Camaro in 2018.
Chloe, who has been driving since she was 11 and races go-karts, set the record in a standard Porsche 718 Spyder with a manual gearbox and standard tyres. It’s not surprising that she was able to do so well as karters do require sharp skills and quick reflexes.
50 cones 15.2 metres apart
The slalom consisted of 50 cones laid in a straight line 50 feet (15.2 metres) apart over a distance of 2, 500 feet (762 metres) at a small airport in New Jersey, USA. Her record time of 47.45 seconds would mean her average speed from start to finish was around 58 km/h.
“It looks easy, but it’s really not – to weave between 50 cones as fast as possible, trying to beat a record time and knowing I couldn’t touch a single one for the run to count – I definitely felt the pressure,” she said. “Everything came together on my final run; the car worked beautifully, and I found the grip I needed. Thank you to my family and to Porsche for supporting and believing in me.”
PASM and PSM help
The driving dynamics and driver assist technologies would also have helped, especially the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system. This is an electronic damping control system, which continuously adjusts the damping force on each wheel, based on current road conditions and driving style. In enhancing performance, it increases driving stability which would certainly help as the car swerves left and right at high speed.
The other helpful system is Porsche Stability Management. Also an electronic control system, it uses sensors to continuously monitor the direction, speed, yaw velocity and lateral acceleration of the car. It also maximizes grip when accelerating on inconsistent road surfaces.
The 718 Spyder that Chloe drove had a 4-litre naturally aspirated boxer 6-cylinder engine producing 414 bhp at 8,000 rpm. It has helper springs on the rear axle and a ride height that is 30 mm lower than a standard 718 Boxster or Cayman, making it ideal for slaloms.
Visit www.porsche.com.my to know more about Porsche models available in Malaysia.
Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) has gained the brand a listing in the Guinness World Records with an altitude achievement by the Hyundai Kona Electric. The first fully Made-in-India electric SUV was driven to an altitude of 5,731 metres at the Sawula Pass in Tibet, breaking the previous record of 5,715.28 metres set by any electric car.
During the entire drive, the Kona Electric was charged every night using portable chargers that are provided as standard with the e-SUV. The crew reported that there were no performance issues while climbing the peaks. When descending on the steep gradients, the smart power regeneration system in the vehicle helped to improve the driving range.
Electric powerplant of Kona Electric produces 136 ps/395 Nm. The range on a full charge is certified at 452 kms.
With this achievement, the Kona Electric has proven its reliability, even in extreme operating conditions. During the journey, it performed as a true SUV and coped with harsh weather conditions like low temperatures, continuous snowfall and icy terrain. The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system helped the driver to maintain control as it ensured the stability of the vehicle in all road conditions.
‘Emission Impossible Mission’
Commenting on this achievement, S.S. Kim, MD & CEO of Hyundai Motor India said: “Hyundai KONA Electric making to the prestigious Guinness World Records feat is a very proud moment for everyone and remarkable feat for HMIL. KONA Electric has brought Electric Revolution by demolishing various myths about electric vehicles and is a true expression of Hyundai’s spirit of staying ahead of the curve. Under the ‘Emission Impossible Mission’, KONA Electric has proved its mettle in the world’s toughest terrains without compromising its performance.”
The Kona Electric, priced at Rs 23.71 lakh (around RM135,500) is the First Long Range Green SUV in India with a certified range of 452 kms on a fully charged battery pack. To avoid any range anxiety, customers are provided with two chargers along with the car – a portable charger and an AC Wall Box Charger.
Additionally, in certain Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, a Special Kona Electric fleet (KONA Electric to KONA Electric) fitted with power converter will provide emergency charging support to owners. All Hyundai dealerships which sell the Kona Electric have 7.2 kW AC Charger stations which are available to customers.
