Volkswagen’s new ID.3 Electric Car set a new world record on Hankook Winter i*cept evo 3 tires

• Hankook has supported the success of the “ID.3 Germany Tour” by fitting the new Winter i*cept evo 3 tire on the campaign vehicle
• The VW ID.3 team has set a world record for the longest continuous journey with an electric vehicle through a single country after driving for 65 days and more than 28,000 kilometers across Germany

Neu-Isenburg, Germany, December 15, 2020 – Premium tire maker Hankook has successfully completed the “ID.3 Germany Tour” with its Winter i*cept evo 3 tire on Volkswagen’s ID.3. Back in September, the trip started in Oberstdorf, which is one of Germany’s top winter sports locations and its most southern Hotel-location. Organizer Rainer Zietlow and his co-driver Dominic Brüner from CHALLENGE4 GmbH, an agency specializing in global vehicle projects, spent 65 days travelling through every part of Germany to test the long-distance capabilities of the Volkswagen ID.3 and the charging infrastructure across Germany. After 28,198 kilometers, they reached their final destination in the north of Sylt, the country’s most northern island. Despite the Covid-19 restrictions, the team has set a world record for the longest continuous drive through a country in an electric vehicle. During the journey, they have charged the vehicle at 652 quick-charging stations and used new wall boxes installed at various Volkswagen dealerships they visited.

“We would like to congratulate Rainer Zietlow and his team on their accomplishment in these challenging times. We are very happy that our new winter tire i*cept evo 3 was part of this amazing journey and was able to provide the performance, safety and reliability that the team needed to succeed,” says Sooil Lee, Hankook Tire President & COO.

Throughout the entire trip, Hankook's all-new Ultra-High-Performance winter tires Winter i*cept evo 3, fitted in size 215/55 R18 99V XL, were mounted on the campaign vehicle. The new, now third, Winter i*cept evo generation features a directional tread pattern for the first time. It not only offers excellent aquaplaning safety, but also high grip on wet roads and during low temperatures. This is a particularly important feature for electric cars, since high torques are almost completely converted into propulsion. With Hankook’s Winter i*cept evo 3, the team was well prepared for the onset of winter and to visit every corner of Germany. Hankook’s new Ultra-High-Performance winter tire has been awarded “Exemplary”, the highest mark from the independent performance test by Europe’s leading automotive magazine Auto Bild.

“The strain on the tires for an electric vehicle like the sporty VW ID.3 particularly in its highest performance level, is immense,” explains record driver Rainer Zietlow. “The new Hankook winter tire always provided the necessary grip throughout the entire trip, despite the very spontaneous and sporty high torque, even in the prevailing wet and cold weather. As a result, we had great confidence in the performance of our vehicle at all times.”

Tire maker Hankook has steadily increased its presence in the tire segment for electric vehicles through forward-looking investments in R&D and the use of leading technology. For example, the company recently announced that, in addition to supplying other leading electric car manufacturers, it is equipping the new electric sports car Porsche Taycan with its Ventus S1 evo 3 ev tire. Furthermore, the company has just been confirmed as the exclusive tire supplier for the “ABB FIA Formula E World Series” from the 2022/23 season onwards, where the new, fully electric, third-generation racing cars will compete around the world in their own FIA World Championship.