Driving across the United States is a bucket list item for most Americans and many people have fond memories of doing just that in a Porsche. Today the nationwide Electrify America CCS DC fast charging network is ready to handle the charging needs for Taycan drivers to make new road trip memories of their own.
To that end, Wayne Gerdes, already a multi-Guinness World Records™ title holder for efficiency and range in other vehicles, set out to make a unique memory for himself: break the Guinness World Records™ title for the shortest charging time to cross the United States in an electric vehicle – the benchmark being 7 hours, 10 minutes, and 1 second.
Gerdes completed the crossing from Los Angeles, California to New York City covering 2,834.5 miles in a 2021 Porsche Taycan with a cumulative charge time of just 2 hours, 26 minutes, and 48 seconds. “Comparing charging performance from of variety of EVs I have driven to date, the Taycan sets the bar,” said Gerdes. “The first time I charged on a 350KW charger, 6 to 82 percent occurred in just 22 minutes.”
To complete the Guinness World Records™ title attempt, Gerdes was required to meet a daunting set of requirements, including meticulously noting every stop – with independent witnesses for each charge. Every mile covered was filmed, GPS tracked and accounted for before being certified by a panel of adjudicators ahead of the record being accepted.
For Gerdes’ coast-to-coast adventure, a 2021 Taycan with Performance Battery Plus and the Premium Package with Adaptive Cruise Control was used. Using Electrify America and Plug Share, Gerdes plotted the route across America. Throughout the trip, he was able to benefit from Plug-and-Charge.