MUNICH: An electric car by US manufacturer Lucid has broken the record for the longest journey off a single charge, travelling from the Swiss city of St Moritz through Austria to the southern German city of Munich.
The company said on Tuesday that the vehicle travelled a total of 1,205 kilometres, surpassing the previous Guinness World Record of 1,045 kilometres achieved by a Mercedes in Japan in June.
The Lucid Air Grand Touring model set the new record last weekend.
"This range record represents a significant milestone: It's yet another clear demonstration of the technological edge that defines Lucid," said senior vice president Eric Bach, arguing that the company's technology "lets a Lucid travel further with less energy than any other vehicles."
The Silicon Valley-based company is little known in Europe, with only around 500 of its electric vehicles registered in Germany according to official figures from April.
The Air Grand Touring model is expensive, with prices lying around €130,000 ($152,000).
German industry experts reacted cautiously to the record figure.
"The range race continues, although a long range is becoming less important," said Stefan Bratzel from the Center of Automotive Management in Bergisch Gladbach.
Germany's network of charging stations, including fast-charging options, is getting better and better, making an extreme range unnecessary, he added.
However, he conceded that "the range issue is still in the minds of many customers."
Ferdinand Dudenhöffer from the Center for Automotive Research pointed out that the ranges of new electric cars have improved significantly over the past three or four years, and are no longer too far off the range of a diesel car.
In addition, charging times are becoming shorter and shorter.
As a result, the range aspect is becoming less relevant as a sales pitch.
