The Roewe D7 DMH pulled off the feat under less than ideal conditions, traversing both a desert and a mountain
- Drivers in a Chinese PHEV just pulled off a record 2,208-km drive without refuelling
- The Roewe D7 model is factory-rated for 1,400 km on a full tank and a full charge
- The route included massive altitude changes, below-zero temps, and rough roads
Drivers piloting a Chinese plug-in hybrid sedan just took the Guinness World Record for longest distance travelled by a PHEV without refuelling or recharging, managing some 2,208 km (1,372 miles) before the vehicle ran out of both gas and electrons. The model used was a Roewe D7 DMH, in completely stock specification, says Guinness. The record drive spanned four days, and saw the PHEV pass through the Chinese cities of Lanzhou, Zhangye, Jiuquan, Turpan, and Urumqi.
The Roewe D7 DMH comes rated by the factory with a range of 1,400 km (870 miles), or 125 km (78 miles) if driving on battery alone. That means the car’s expert drivers managed to eke out of the car’s 110-hp 1.5-liter gasoline engine and 201-hp electric motor some 808 km (547 miles) more than they should have been able to. Average fuel consumption worked out to 2.49 L/100 km (94.5 U.S. mpg).
We were ready to call shenanigans, too: what’s to say they didn’t sneak in a quick charge somewhere? Guinness’ verification measures apparently included tape seals on the fuel door and charging port. The organization also recorded the VIN to ensure conspiracy theorists couldn’t claim the whole car was swapped out en route.
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