• by Tanya Gazdik , August 11, 2021

A Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicle is about halfway finished with a 100-day cross-country drive that includes 48 states, 200 charging stations and 600 dealerships.

In an attempt to show that road trips are not impossible in an all-electric vehicle, a VW long-haul driver is taking on the task. 

Volkswagen of America, Volkswagen Credit Inc., and Electrify America  teamed with long-distance driving expert Rainer Zietlow, who has done 17 long-distance drives since 2005 in Volkswagen models.

Zietlow and driving partner Derek Collins are midway through with a counterclockwise loop of the country, beginning and ending in Herndon, Virginia. They started in July and expect to conclude in mid-October.

The trip is being documented at vwid4-usatour.com, where visitors can monitor the location of the ID.4 in real-time.

The VW ID.4, which is designed to bring electric vehicles to the mainstream, is well suited for a long-distance drive with space for plenty of gear, Zietlow says.

The vehicle has an EPA-estimated range of 250 miles and DC fast charging capability that allows a recharge from 5% to 80% capacity in 38 minutes at a public DC fast charger.

The team will rely heavily on Electrify America for recharging the ID.4, as it has the nation’s largest open DC fast-charging network with more than 635 charging stations and more than 2,700 individual DC fast chargers. 

Electrify America plans to have a total of 800 charging stations and about 3,500 DC fast chargers open or under development by the end of 2021. 

As with each of Zietlow’s tours, Challenge4 will be supporting the international charity organization SOS-Children’s Villages by donating 10 U.S. cents per miles driven.