An all-electric Kia EV6 has completed a 3,174-mile drive from Norway to Portugal in less than four days as part of an event to mark World EV Day.
The Driven To Extremes Euro EV Marathon by the Max Adventure team beat its original target by arriving in just 3.75 days and added an extra country to the journey, which recreated a drive by Sir Stirling Moss in 1952.
Covering 16 countries and 3,174 miles in a little over 89 hours, the challenge was designed to show it is possible to cover huge distances in a short time using a standard EV and existing charging infrastructure.
The adventure started as the team were waved off from Kia’s Norwegian headquarters in Oslo, with Kia Portugal in Lisbon welcoming the travellers at journey’s end.
The team improved on the time set by motor racing legend Moss by 47 minutes.
It is understood to be the first time the route has been attempted in a fully electric vehicle.
Using the Kia EV6 Air’s 300-mile-pluse range and 800V rapid-charging technology to maximum effect, the team also relied on ‘Kia Charge’ to cut the journey time.
The ‘Kia Charge’ service lets EV owners access more than 400,000 public chargers across Europe from a single account with a single RFID card. This provided the team with rapid charging locations along its route, enabling them to get back on the road as quickly as possible after each stop.
The EV6’s rapid charging technology was critical to the team’s recorded time.
Project leader Mac Mackenney said: “This wasn’t about trying to beat Sir Stirling, but demonstrate that mammoth trans-continental drives in an EV can easily be undertaken here and now in 2022. Many people still view EVs as ineffective or unable to cope as a daily means of transport outside city life, but the Kia EV6, and the charging network show that just isn’t true.”
Originally intending to cover 15 countries in 120 hours, the team were able to shave more than a day and add an extra stop to their itinerary after it became clear just how quickly they could cover the distance.
Only stopping to charge and change drivers, the team operated in shifts and adhered to the speed limits of each country visited.
Despite recording the journey, the drive wasn’t about setting the fastest time possible, and the team made detours to honour Sir Stirling along the way. This included the 7,500-foot high Julier Pass in the Swiss Alps, part of the original 1952 route, and Monaco, which allowed the team to drive the historic Grand Prix circuit.
Leaving Oslo, the team set a course for the border with Sweden. From there it was destination Denmark before driving through Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Monaco, Spain and finally Portugal.
The team departed on September 5, 2022 at 15:00 and crossed the border into Portugal, at Vilar Formoso on September 8 at 08:12 - the original start and stop point for the timing of the 1952 drive.
