In a non-stop trip from Africa to the United Kingdom, automotive writer Andrew Frankel and an unnamed relief driver covered 1,223 miles on a single tank of fuel in a Mercedes-Benz E300 BlueTEC Hybrid, arriving at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 27 hours.
The epic drive was undertaken by Autocar, a British automotive magazine, and Mercedes in order to set new records and showcase the capabilities of the German company’s new diesel-electric hybrid powertrain. The trip covered two continents, four countries, and three time zones with a combined 228 bph of engine-motor power.
The challenge of driving from Africa to the UK was exacerbated by heavy rains, intense heat, rush-hour traffic, and dramatic elevation changes. But the car and its drivers got through it, proving the high efficiency of the hybrid.
