It wasn't a journey to the center of the Earth, but J.F. Musial and his team traveled to the lowest point in America, and beyond. Then, they drove to the top of Pikes Peak in a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, a vertical distance of three miles, setting a new Guinness World Record.
The lowest point in the U.S. is traditionally recognized as Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California. It is 282 feet below sea level. Pikes Peak tops out at 14,115 feet.
Musial wanted to push the limits even further. With the support of operators at Eagle Mine in Big Bay, Michigan, that wish was granted.
The high-grade nickel and copper mine is the only mine in America where a vehicle can be driven at deep depth.
The Taycan Cross Turismo's raised ride height and four-wheel drive met the safety criteria that the mine has in place. Porsche did not modify the car for the drive.
The mining tunnel the battery electric vehicle traveled through sits 1,774.4 feet below sea level. It's at the lowest part of the excavation. The depth of the vehicle was logged by specialist surveyors.
At dawn, the car and its team ascended from the tunnel and set off on its way to Colorado.In the span of a little over 24 hours, Musial and his team traveled 1,400 miles between Big Bay, Michigan and Pikes Peak, stopping only briefly for vehicle and human charging and recharging along the way.
Three groups of drivers worked in tandem on driving duties, and used sealed GPS devices that monitored their route and altitude throughout to satisfy strict Guinness World Records requirements. Only one member of the team completed the entire trip - Musial.
The journey covered six states and along the way the drive team encountered mixed conditions - rain, sun, snow and ice - as they traveled from the mine to the steep mountain roads.
By the time they reached the summit of Pikes Peak, the oxygen available to them was 40 percent less than when they set off, a recipe for driver fatigue.
2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb champion Dai Yoshihara took the last leg and the Taycan Cross Turismo crossed the finish line 33 hours and 48 minutes after it set off.
"You can plan for months, develop a highly detailed schedule, but at the end of the day it always comes down to execution and weather," Musial said in a press release touting the feat.
"I couldn't have been prouder of our team's efforts. The weather – that was a different story. I've always been told that the mountain decides if it'll allow you to get to the summit. Despite an incoming snowstorm, we got lucky and found a small 45-minute window to get to the top – the mountain let us get this record."
The journey is recoded as the new benchmark of rthe greatest altitude change ever achieved by an electric car.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Eileen Falkenberg-Hull leads the Autos team at Newsweek. She has written extensively about the auto industry for U.S. News & ... Read more
