Polestar’s Guinness World Record for longest journey travelled by an electric SUV on a single charge was a praiseworthy feat. It deserved the global coverage it received. The unmodified Polestar 3 covered 935.44 km (581.3 miles) but it took 22 hours and 57 minutes to drive that far. The average speed works out to be 40 km/h. I don’t know about you but that’s kinda slow. However, the record attempt was only about going the distance, not against the clock, so fair enough. I think it’s a good story but at the same time we should not be getting carried away.
So what does this do for the EV cause?
It shows that when carefully managed, a battery only EV can reach well beyond its stated range. It reminds me of Apollo 13 when the crew had to conserve power to make it back to Earth. Of course there was nothing life threatening about this journey along the flat roads of the Norfolk region in the UK but you get the idea. Every electron counts.
This means taking actions like; slowing down, waiting until it’s warmer, turning off unnecessary features and choosing a flat-to-downhill route . Doing some, or all of these things, will definitely help if you are desperately trying to creep towards a charging station. Hopefully it’s working when you get there. So if the situation is grim, you know there are things you can do to extend the driving distance.
So how does it not help the EV cause?
While it may ease range anxiety slightly in the right conditions, the record drive does little to overcome the greater concern of range anxiety teamed with charger anxiety. Although the driving tactics served the goal of breaking a world record, it doesn’t help greatly when it comes to day-to-day driving. When you get in a petrol powered car you just go. No need to think about low fuel when you can quickly top up at the next servo. A quick charge is also possible but it’s just not as convenient .. yet. I make this observation through experience. If you take a similar journey from Sydney to Brisbane, the long stretches of 110 km/h freeway driving and hill climbs will rapidly reduce your range per charge.
Conclusion
EV critics have dismissed this world record as worthless due to the fact it was painfully slow. I think some of this criticism is fair but I don’t believe the attempt was pointless. EV fans and a lot of general news outlets failed to even acknowledge the insanely slow driving speed. I mean, come on. All this does is increase the divide between EV fans and ICE supporters. I actually hope Polestar can take this data and make an even better performing car. I like EVs and ICE vehicles but we all need to be fair in our analysis.
As Image Matrix Tech embraces car technology with a new AUTO TECH section, we want to deliver a balanced approach to electric vehicles. Early next year I’ll be streaming a documentary, years in the making, about the joy and frustrations of driving EVs in Australia.
