Plug-in hybrid sets ‘exceptional record’ on Land’s End to John O’Groats journey

A new record has been set by a hybrid car on a journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Three friends made the 863-mile journey with a fuel consumption figure of 376 miles per gallon.

Fergal McGrath (52), Julian Warren (59) and Umit Sabanci (49) travelled in Mr McGrath’s plug-in hybrid Volkswagen Golf GTE.

They completed the 863-mile journey for less than £100. The total fast-charging cost was £82.85 and the total petrol cost was £15.43.

They set off from Land’s End on Saturday, April 5, and arrived in John O’Groats the next day, having stopped to charge the car a number of times at fast chargers along the way.

The friends used only 2.2789 gallons of fuel for the whole journey. The car holds approximately nine gallons.

Witnesses were on hand to verify the details.

The official Guinness World Record was for the lowest fuel consumption ever achieved with a production plug-in hybrid hatchback car – amounting to 376.6 miles per gallon or 0.75 litres per 100km.

McGrath, an automotive engineer from County Carlow, Ireland, explained that with a fully charged 19.7 kWh battery the car could achieve up to 150 km driven at normal road speeds until fully depleted.

Then the engine would cut in and the vehicle operated in the most efficient mode, he said, allowing regeneration when braking or going downhill and reverting back to electric drive when the battery had regained enough charge energy.

During the night, the electric-only range reduced to about 100km as cabin heating and headlights consumed extra energy.

The 272 hp Golf GTE also comes with Sport mode “which turns the exceptionally economic car into a high-performance hatchback”.

Mr McGrath said: “This was a real-world test to see if this car could achieve an exceptional overall fuel consumption and drive a large proportion on electric-only with the combustion engine turned off.

“There was zero range anxiety because there is a 1.5 TSI petrol engine available which kicks in when the battery is depleted.

“The DC fast charging also allowed this trip to be done in a normal way, and most people will take a break or have some food while the vehicle is on charge.

“It was great fun, we achieved an exceptional record in a simply brilliant car, and we met some really interesting people along the way.”

The friends say they hope that their journey will demonstrate how drivers can “dramatically improve fuel consumption”.

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