[Digital Today Seung-a Yoo, intern reporter] Audi's A6 Sportback e-tron Performance drove 1,338 km on a single charge, setting a Guinness World Record for the longest distance by an electric vehicle (EV) on one charge.

Audi said on Sept. 24 (local time) that rally driver Miko Marczyk (미코 마르치크) began the record run at 1:55 a.m. on Sept. 11 in Poland in an Audi A6 Sportback e-tron Performance. Marczyk travelled along the Vistula River via Krakow, Sandomierz, Warsaw, Torun and Grudziadz to Hel on the Baltic coast and returned along the same route.

The drive took place on public roads in real traffic conditions. Audi said the route included commuting hours and the average temperature during the drive was about 15 degrees Celsius. The run continued for more than 45 hours from the start, and the car stopped between Torun and Ciechocinek after recording a total of 1,338 km. Final power consumption was 7.09 kWh per 100 km.

The previous record was held by the Lucid Air Grand Touring. Lucid set a Guinness record in 2025 by driving 1,205 km on a single charge, and Audi's run increased the record by 133 km.

Audi cited the A6 Sportback e-tron's aerodynamics as a key factor. It said the car's drag coefficient is 0.21 and described it as the lowest among its vehicles to date. It also said aerodynamic drag accounts for about 40 percent of driving energy consumption under the WLTP standard.

The car used for the record run was a Performance model with a maximum output of 367 horsepower. It reaches 100 km per hour from a standstill in 5.4 seconds and has a usable battery capacity of 94.9 kWh. Audi said the car's maximum driving range under the WLTP standard is up to 777 km.

Marczyk said, "Even for me, the result of 1,338 km was a pleasant surprise." He explained that he drove to improve energy efficiency by actively using regenerative braking and keeping tyre pressure at an appropriate level. Audi said smooth acceleration and braking, and anticipating road conditions in advance, also help improve efficiency.

Still, it is hard to view this record as a distance that typical drivers can reproduce in everyday driving. Audi said the drive took place in real traffic conditions but did not disclose the average speed. Since the record involved driving 1,338 km over more than 45 hours, it is difficult to compare it under the same conditions as typical motorway driving or usual driving methods.

The run shows that a significant gap can arise between an officially rated range for a production electric vehicle and an actual record run. It also shows that Audi is focusing on extending range through energy efficiency such as aerodynamics, regenerative braking and driving methods, not only battery capacity.