The winter season in northern Alaska is long and especially tough on electric vehicles.

Rainer Zietlow, a multi Guinness World Record holder, took on the challenge and became the first person to drive an all-electric car to the northernmost point of the U.S. highway system in the spring.

On March 28, 2023, Zietlow and photographer Derek Collins set off from Homer, Alaska, in a standard Volkswagen ID.4. Homer is the southernmost point of Alaska’s road network.

They headed to Deadhorse, Alaska, located at the end of the Dalton Highway on Alaska’s north coast. During this time of year, temperatures along the route can drop as low as -29 degrees Celsius (-20 degrees Fahrenheit). The team arrived on April 4, 2023. No electric vehicle had reached this point so early in the year before. Rainer Zietlow completed the 8,500-mile journey (16,116 km) without a support vehicle.

The ID.4’s battery has a net capacity of 77 kWh and was charged only from existing power sources. Since Alaska's charging infrastructure is still under construction, the team charged the vehicle not only at regular stations, but also at state transportation facilities, RV parks, and common high-capacity outlets. After Deadhorse, the Challenge4 team set out for the southernmost point of the U.S. highway system in Key West, Florida. After traveling almost 10,000 miles (16100 km), they reached their destination on the evening of May 6, 2023. 

The project was documented with photos, videos, and a live tracker, all of which can be viewed on this website. Photographer and fellow rider Derek Collins took the pictures. He had already embarked on the record-breaking tour across the USA in 2021.

As with all his previous projects, Rainer Zietlow supported the charity SOS Children’s Villages and visited its location in Chicago, Illinois, during the tour.