Guinness World Record attempts to travel from Land’s End to John O’Groats in an electric car are kicking off on Sunday 31 July 2016, with the team attempting to set the record for the fastest time travelled between the two landmarks, as well as the shortest charging time, in an electric car.
Colliers International, alongside Smooth Radio and Rybrook BMW Warwick, have come together to take on the challenge which will see the team of nine leave Land’s End on the evening of the Sunday 31 July to travel 886 miles to John O’Groats in under 24 hours and in less than five hours charge time.
The Rybrook BMW dealership in Warwick has donated three of its electric i3 models for the record attempt; the full electric version (BEV) and the range extended version (REx), alongside a support vehicle. The route has been carefully planned to allow for the maximum number of miles to be covered from each battery charge, with the team planning to utilise up to 14 public charging points along the route.
Simon Summberby-Bent, a Director in Colliers International’s Valuations team, instigated the charity initiative. Following the death of his mother last November, after a 20 year battle with a brain tumour, Simon was looking for a challenge that would allow him to continue his mother’s fundraising legacy and raise additional funds for The Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Charity, who managed her treatment.
As an early adopter of electric cars, Simon wanted to incorporate his passion for this increasingly popular form of transportation into the challenge and came up with the idea of testing the capabilities of the BMW i3, showcasing the model as a comfortable, economic and environmentally friendly form of transport that is not limited to short journeys.
Simon explains: “I was inspired to look for a challenge to break a World Record by my son, who receives a Guinness Book of World Records each year as one of his Christmas stocking fillers. I have owned a BMW electric car since 2014, and am a big advocate for the environmental benefits and driving capabilities of these types of vehicles.
“I approached the Rybrook BMW dealership in Warwick, which I knew would be keen to get involved, as the challenge would be a great way to showcase the performance capabilities of their electric car range. But I didn’t stop there. Keen to maximise the fundraising potential of the challenge, I teamed up with Smooth Radio to support the initiative and drafted in breakfast show frontman, Nigel Freshman, to be a co-driver.
“We’re confident in the capabilities of the vehicles however there are many external factors to take into account along the way that could make completing this world record attempt more difficult. We have plotted an optimum route identifying charging points in convenient locations along the way, but we are at the mercy of public charging stations, so have had to find back-up charging points at each location in case any of the ‘optimum’ points are out of use or unattainable on the day for some reason. It’s not going to be easy but we’re up for the challenge!”
The team of nine includes: Simon Summerby-Bent, Martyn Edwards and Charlie Roberton from Colliers International’s Birmingham office; Nigel Freshman and Kenny Mach from Smooth Radio; Matthew Trevaskis from Ecodrive; and Richard Dean, Helen Dean and Sam Smith from Rybrook BMW Warwick.
In addition to raising funds for The Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Charity, the team will also be supporting Global’s Make Some Noise and Whizz Kids.
The team will set off from Land’s End on Sunday 31 July and are expected to arrive in John O’Groats by 6pm on Monday 1 August. To view the team’s progress, follow #i3worldrecord. The team is aiming for a fundraising target of £50,000. To donate visit: www.smoothradio.com/i3worldrecord