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Electric-car enthusiasts eye world records in cross-country trip

In the Ride The Future Tour, a collection of electric vehicle enthusiasts aim to travel almost 3,000 miles east to west across the US, Ingram writes. Several Guinness World Records are up for the taking, including "longest journey on an electric scooter," "longest journey on an electric motorcycle," and "longest journey in an electric car."

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Rebecca Cook/Reuters/File
A 2012 Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle is parked at the solar-powered electric charging station at General Motors Co's assembly plant in Hamtramck, Mich. Organizers of the Ride The Future Tour aim to lead a whole convoy of electric vehicles across the US, everything from regular electric cars to scooters, bikes and more.
  • By Anthony Ingram Guest blogger

It's human nature to push the boundaries of what one can achieve, a trait clearly illustrated every time an electric car owner embarks upon a huge journeyto prove it can be done.

Such a trip is almost a cliché now--a brave few have already taken an electric car around the entire world, after all--but people are still find ways to put a new spin on the theme.

One of those is the Ride The Future Tour, a collection of electric vehicle enthusiasts aiming to travel almost 3,000 miles east to west across the U.S.

The trip's aim is to lead a whole convoy of electric vehicles across the U.S, everything from regular electric cars to scooters, bikes and more. On the 43-day trip they'll stop at 43 cities across the U.S, both to raise the trip's profile and also to recharge. 

Several Guinness World Records are up for the taking, including "longest journey on an electric scooter", "longest journey on an electric motorcycle" and "longest journey in an electric car".

We're not so sure about the latter--several huge journeys in electric cars have already been undertaken--but the Guinness rules for the scooter trip stipulate certain criteria, so perhaps there's no official car record just yet.

The organizers hope to produce a full documentary out of the trip, so this will certainly be something to look forward to.

The Ride The Future Tour starts on July 4 from South Carolina, and ends at Google's headquarters in California. [Editor's note: The state where the tour starts was corrected.]

Full details of the trip including some of the vehicles competing and the cities on the route--plus how you can enter if you're interested--can be found on the official website.

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