- The Polestar 3 crossover is the new record holder for the longest journey travelled by an electric SUV on a single charge.
- The EV went almost 600 miles on a full charge and needed nearly 23 hours to complete the trip.
- The three drivers took turns and used public roads in the United Kingdom.
A bog-standard Polestar 3 crossover just set a new world record for the longest journey travelled by an electric SUV on a single charge. The EV, fitted with the Long Range battery and a single rear motor, went a whopping 581.3 miles (925.4 kilometers) before needing to be recharged. That’s a lot more than the Polestar 3’s official EPA range rating of 350 miles, but there’s a reason for that.
The record-setting trip was done on public roads in the United Kingdom, taking 22 hours and 57 minutes to complete. That’s a very long time, which is why the team had three drivers who took turns driving the electric crossover.
It’s rather impressive, but doing some quick maths reveals that the average speed during the record run was 25.3 mph (40.7 kilometers per hour). The team left at 2 a.m. to take advantage of clear roads in the morning, sticking to the flat roads of the Norfolk area. At the end of the very long trip, the car had an average energy efficiency of 5.1 miles/kilowatt-hour (19.5 kWh/100 miles or 12.1 kWh/100 km).
The team had Sam Clarke, Kevin Booker and Richard Parker, all efficiency experts who have experience driving all sorts of vehicles on long trips without stopping to refuel. Sam Clarke, for instance, was one of the riders who took home the world record for the longest journey travelled by an electric motorcycle on a single charge.
The record was made official by Guinness World Records’ own judge, Paulina Sapinska, while UK-based fleet management company Webfleet was responsible for gathering independently verified video footage, odometer readings, GPS readings and battery state of charge data. The car was not modified in any way and used standard 20-inch wheels fitted with standard Michelin Sport 4 EV tires.
“We are very proud to say we have a world record holder in the Polestar family! This official Guinness World Record for range is another proof point that Polestar 3 is setting new standards,” said Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller. “We will continue to push the boundaries of technology and electric performance.”
The Polestar 3 is assembled in Ridgeville, South Carolina, as well as in Chengdu, China. In Long Range Single Motor guise, the BMW iX rival is powered by a rear-mounted electric motor that makes 299 horsepower and 361 pound-feet of torque. The battery, supplied by China’s CATL, has a usable energy content of 107 kWh and can be fast-charged at up to 250 kW, making for a 10% to 80% top-up in 30 minutes.
Gallery: Polestar 3 World Record
