Volkswagen sets three EV world records over 794-mile road trip in ‘most efficient near-production’ car — and it could be the battery breakthrough that EVs need
Volkswagen sets three EV records — and proves bigger batteries aren't the answer.
Volkswagen has set three world records with its Mission Efficiency, described as the most efficient near-production electric car to date. The ID Polo-based vehicle traveled 794 miles (1,278 km) from Wolfsburg, via Poznań in Poland and Olomouc in the Czech Republic, and ended in Vienna, Austria. The Mission Efficiency clocked an average battery consumption of 6.89 kWh/100 km during the journey, which equates to 8.27 miles per kilowatt-hour (mpkWh).
The vehicle also achieved a new record for aerodynamics with a drag coefficient (Cd) value of 0.158, and registered an average consumption of 6.48 kWh/100 km during an ideal trip with a 68km/h average speed and no air conditioning. The Mission Efficiency is almost identical to the standard ID Polo, featuring a 114-hp front-mounted motor and a battery with increased usable capacity due to reduced safety margins.
To improve efficiency, Volkswagen removed non-essential accessories and included a solar roof that can deliver up to 370W of power on a sunny day. With these improvements, the Mission Efficiency could offer a range boost of 50 to 100 miles without increasing battery size or cost. Volkswagen's head of innovation, Christoph Riechel, indicated that further efficiency gains could be applied to production vehicles, suggesting smaller electric cars with impressive efficiency figures may become more appealing to consumers.
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