Porsche Breaks The World Record For The Greatest Altitude Change Ever Achieved By An EV

A completely stock Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo became the first EV to climb an altitude difference of 3 miles (4.8 km) in one day, driving from the lowest point the team could access in the US by car to one of the highest, the Pikes Peak. The achievement was officially recognized by Guinness World Records since the trip was monitored by sealed GPS devices along with an analog altimeter.

More specifically, the car was driven from an altitude of 540.8 m (1,774.4 feet) below sea level in Eagle Mine in Michigan, all the way up to the 4,302 m (14,115 feet) summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado. The vertical distance between the two was a little over 3 miles (4.8 km or precisely 4,842.967 meters) but the overall distance traveled was 1,413 miles (2,274 km) across five states (Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and Colorado). The journey took 33 hours and 48 minutes, with three groups of drivers taking turns between coffee brakes and stops for recharging the battery.

Watch Also: Can You Actually Go Off-Roading In The Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo?

The lowest point in America is Badwater Basin in Death Valley, at 282 feet below sea
level, but the team decided to go even deeper than that, using the premises of the Eagle Mine in Michigan. Thanks to the increased ride height and the all-wheel-drive capabilities, the Taycan Cross Turismo reached the lowest part of the excavation at 540.8 meters (1,774.4 feet) below sea level with the help of the miners. The nickel and copper mine was a fitting place to start the journey since EVs rely on those metals.

During the trip from the underground mine to Pikes Peak, the team encountered sun, rain, snow, and ice, with the change in the available oxygen falling by 40% by the time they reached their final destination. Besides the fatigue factor, the attempt was not easy since weather conditions at Pikes Peak can be unpredictable. Thankfully the team found a time window to make the climb before a snowstorm hit. The last person to take the wheel was Dai Yoshihara, class winner at the 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

The record-breaking journey was captured on film by videographer J.F. Musial who was a part of the team, first as a driver and then as a passenger. As the only person that completed the whole 34-hour 1,413-mile (2,274 km) long trim, Musial said: “It was among the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I guess that’s why it’s a record!” adding that “it is something none of us will ever forget. Now, I need to sleep for a week…”

This is not the first time Porsche breaks a world record with a variant of the Taycan. Last year, a Porsche Taycan Turbo S became the fastest vehicle indoors, while in June it set a new EV production car lap record at the Bend Motorsport Park in Australia.