Electric mobility works: VW ID. Buzz circumnavigates the world and sets a Guinness World Record.

The discussion about electric mobility is often framed along the lines of range, charging times, and infrastructure. Rarely does the opportunity present itself to examine the everyday practicality of an electric vehicle under conditions that could hardly be more extreme. Exactly that has now been done by the Mannheim-based long-distance driver Rainer Zietlow—and in doing so, he has also set a Guinness World Record. After 445 days, 92 countries and 99,767 kilometers, Zietlow has returned to Hanover with a fully electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz. There, where the journey had begun in July 2025, it ended at the IAA Transportation 2026 with a Guinness World Records certificate. The category: "The most visited countries during a continuous journey in a fully electric vehicle." But the real record lies less in the number of countries than in the condition of the vehicle after its return.

Around the world – without a workshop stop

Six continents, desert tracks, mountain roads, tropical heat and more than 300 charging sessions: The strain on people and machines was considerable. Nevertheless, the electric van recorded no technical faults during the entire journey. For Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, this is the central message of the project. After the return, TÜV Nord inspected the vehicle and certified the high-voltage battery to a health state of 95.75 percent. Given the distance traveled, that is a figure that is likely to be noted in the debate about the long-term stability of electric vehicles.

Zietlow himself also sees this as the main message of his journey.

“That I never had any technical problems. That is the decisive point for me,” he says. “The world record was driven with an ID. Buzz in stock condition – that is exactly what buyers want to hear: It works!”

Power instead of oil changes

Zietlow has been involved in automotive long-distance projects for two decades. The tour with the ID. Buzz was, by his own account, his biggest undertaking so far. The difference between electric and combustion-engine vehicles was particularly striking.

“With the internal combustion engine, in many regions of the world you have sulfur or water in the diesel, several oil changes are necessary, and there is also the risk of engine overheating – all of that goes away with an electric vehicle,” he reports.

However, going electric cannot be done without planning either. The availability of charging points must be checked in advance. Those who take this into account will be well equipped with an electric car. This assessment gains weight because the route did not travel only through regions with dense charging infrastructure. Zietlow also travelled in parts of Africa, where public charging points are sometimes barely available.