In a monumental display of electric vehicle endurance and performance, the Mercedes-AMG GT XX has set a staggering 25 world records in a non-stop, eight-day run at the Nardò high-speed test track in Italy. The standout achievement was a new record for the greatest distance ever covered by an electric vehicle in 24 hours, an astonishing 3,405 miles (5,479 km), which surpasses the previous record by more than 930 miles.
But the record-breaking didn’t stop there. Inspired by Jules Verne’s “Around the World in Eighty Days,” the AMG GT XX took on its own audacious challenge: to cover the equivalent of the Earth’s circumference. The high-performance concept car, piloted by a rotating team of 17 drivers including Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 driver George Russell, completed the 24,901-mile (40,075 km) journey in just 7 days, 13 hours, 24 minutes, and 7 seconds.
This remarkable feat, which saw two AMG GT XX prototypes run simultaneously and finish a mere 15 miles apart, is a testament to the revolutionary technology at the heart of the car. The AMG GT XX is built on the forthcoming AMG.EA architecture and features three axial-flux electric motors, which are significantly more powerful and compact than conventional electric motors. The powertrain delivers over 1,341 horsepower and enabled the cars to maintain a constant speed of 186 mph for much of the run.
Beyond the raw power, the record run also showcased groundbreaking charging technology. The car’s 800-volt system and a new high-performance battery with direct-cooled cells allowed for ultra-fast charging, averaging 850 kW. This meant the car could recover approximately 250 miles of range in just five minutes, a crucial factor for the non-stop endurance run.
Mercedes-AMG Chairman Michael Schiebe stated that the record run was not just a publicity stunt but a real-world test to prove the reliability and endurance of their future electric drivetrains. The data and insights gathered from this grueling challenge are expected to directly influence the production version of the AMG.EA platform, set to be released in 2026, promising a new era of high-performance electric vehicles.
