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.

Click here to read more about the Porsche Taycan.