Longest Ice Drift by an EV
- Extreme conditions made the record hunt on the Finnish ice track difficult
- Drifted 10.87 miles (exactly 17.503 km) in a circle with a diameter of 193.5 feet (59 meters)
- Fourth GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the electric sports car
Stuttgart/Levi. The record hunt with Porsche Experience instructor Jens Richter behind the wheel began on the afternoon of January 14, 2025 under difficult external conditions. "The ice track deteriorated faster than expected under the extreme continuous load of the drifting Taycan," says Jens Richter, describing the challenges. "We therefore had to abort the first attempt after around seven miles."
For the second attempt, the team switched to shorter spikes and took advantage of the fact that the ice temperatures dropped again as darkness fell. This attempt was successful: Jens Richter kept the standard Taycan GTS in a controlled drift for a total of 10.87 miles or 132 laps using only throttle and steering interventions. With this distance, he secured the world record for the longest uninterrupted drift of an electric car on ice and significantly exceeded the previous record of 9.2 miles. "With our new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title on ice, the Taycan has once again proven its dynamic qualities," says Jens Richter. "The fact that the Taycan GTS can be controlled so well even under extreme conditions speaks volumes for its excellent chassis and balanced performance."
Under the supervision of an official adjudicator from Guinness World Records, the drive took place on an ice track at the Porsche Arctic Center in Levi, Finland, 93 miles north of the Arctic Circle. For the record attempt, the Porsche Experience team had created a drift circle with a diameter of 193.5 feet. Commercially available Michelin tires with one-millimeter spikes were mounted on all four tires of the Taycan GTS for the successful record attempt.
The vehicle was equipped with a professional GPS measuring device to measure the route precisely. This system documented the distance travelled and also recorded the driver's actions such as steering wheel movements, accelerator and braking, and the G-forces acting on the vehicle.
Carl Saville was present as the official adjudicator from Guinness World Records. Immediately afterwards, he presented the record certificate to the driver Jens Richter and to Christian Lehwald, Managing Director of the Porsche Arctic Center and Head of Porsche Experience and New Platforms at Porsche AG. " In the Porsche Arctic Center, we find exceptionally good conditions for drifting on ice. With the new Taycan GTS, we have one of the most powerful electric vehicles on the market, so we were pretty confident that we could break the world record with this combination and accepted the challenge," says Christian Lehwald.
High up and in circles for a long time: The other GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS titles set by theTaycan
With the new best performance, the electric sports car holds four record certificates: In 2023, Porsche set another GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title with the Taycan Cross Turismo along the Xinjiang-Tibet route. At 18,284.1 feet, the model mastered the greatest altitude change by an electric car.
In 2022, Wayne Gerdes drove a Taycan 2,834.5 miles across the United States, stopping to charge for a cumulative 2 hours 26 minutes and 48 seconds, setting the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for coast-to-coast charging, or shortest charging time to cross the United States in an electric vehicle. This record showcased the powerful battery and charging system, and efficient route planner of the Taycan.
Racing driver Leh Keen accelerated a Porsche Taycan to 102.6 mph in an exhibition hall in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2021 and thus set a record at the time for the fastest speed driven by a vehicle in an enclosed building. And in 2020, Porsche Experience instructor Dennis Retera drifted exactly 210 laps in a Taycan at the Porsche Experience Center (PEC) Hockenheimring, covering 26.2 miles in 55 minutes.
About the Porsche Experience
The Porsche Experience is a global program that offers unique driving experiences in the areas of Travel (luxurious and inspiring trips), Track (adrenaline-filled driving experiences on racetracks) and Ice (fascinating driving dynamics on ice and snow) - always characterized by performance, precision and pure driving pleasure.
The Porsche Ice Experience has been in Finnish Lapland since 1996, and in Levi since 2014. Winter sports the Porsche way have found many fans since then: over 1,500 participants train their vehicle control on snow and ice slopes there every year and enjoy a varied supporting program. The Porsche Arctic Center area covers an area of 74 acres and offers optimal practice opportunities in the four training levels Discover, Learn, Boost and Race. For the 2025 season, Hermann Tilke, designer of many modern Formula 1 courses, has completely renovated and expanded the track.
