In 2024, the experienced German record holder Rainer Zietlow attempted a new variant of the long-distance record.
Using a GPS tracker as a paintbrush, Zietlow and his team aimed to create an extraordinary painting on the Australian continent, which would be the largest GPS drawing made by an electric car.
Volkswagen Australia, called "Vee Dub" by the locals, was celebrating its anniversary in 2024 with a logo featuring the contours of the continent, the words "70 YEARS OF VEE DUB," and a heart on the island of Tasmania in the south.
On August 14, 2024, Rainer Zietlow and his co-driver and photographer Marius Biela set off from Sydney in a Volkswagen ID.4 EV to attempt to set a Guinness World Record. During the 33,548-kilometer drive around Australia, they drew the 70th anniversary logo on the map of the continent.
Intensive route planning preceded the trip to map the logo onto the Australian road and trail network. All types of roads were included, from highways to public dirt roads.
The effort paid off. After 43 days and 33,548 kilometers, the tracker displayed the logo as a GPS painting measuring an impressive 23,849 kilometers in length—a clear new Guinness World Record.
