Volkswagen’s EV van drove through 92 countries to set a new Guinness World Record

A Volkswagen ID. Buzz, the electric version of VW's van, just set a Guinness World Record for the most countries visited in a continuous journey by a battery-powered vehicle. Driver Rainer Zietlow took the van 99,767 km (about 62,000 miles) through 92 countries over 445 days, crossing six continents from Germany through the US, Africa, South America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia and China. The trip required more than 300 charging stops and 16 container ship crossings, but the van had no technical breakdowns along the way.

After the journey, testing group TÜV Nord checked the van's battery and found it had retained 95.75% of its original capacity, a sign that heavy long-distance use didn't wear it down much. Zietlow said the trip showed real advantages over a gas or diesel van, since he avoided problems like fuel contamination, oil changes, and engine overheating that can come up in rougher parts of the world. He expects electric vehicles to keep closing the gap with gas engines as batteries and fast-charging improve.

This isn't a story about a new rebate or product homeowners can buy, and it doesn't have anything to do with home energy upgrades directly. But it's a real-world stress test for EV batteries and charging reliability, useful context if you're weighing an electric vehicle alongside home charging or solar plans. The van tested here, the ID. Buzz Pro Long Wheelbase, uses an 86 kWh battery and can charge from 10% to 80% in under 30 minutes on a fast charger.