The US will see another record in the close future. And the „guilty” for that is Rainer Zietlow. Long-distance driver Rainer Zietlow and photographer Derek Collins have reached an impressive milestone on their epic, cross-country road trip in the Volkswagen ID.4 EV as the duo touched down at their turnaround point in Los Angeles.
Over 60 days ago, Zietlow and Collins took off from Herndon, VA with a mission to visit more than 600 Volkswagen Dealers in 48 states with Volkswagen’s first long-range EV for the U.S. market, the ID.4. When the duo reached the turnaround point in LA, they had driven 22,303 miles and visited 418 Volkswagen dealerships across 36 states. The pair also made time to stop by 6 Volkswagen Group of America offices to meet with employees and share stories of their adventure.
Throughout their journey, Zietlow and Collins have taken the ID.4 through the bustling streets of New York City, the bountiful cornfields in the Midwest, the volcanic rock landscapes in Oregon and along many other U.S. terrains. The team has documented their stops at quintessentially American destinations, such as vintage diners with neon signs and larger-than-life statues.
Electrify America has been a massive support to the trip with 116 stops at Electrify America charging stations made by the time the turnaround point was reached. Electrify America has the nation’s largest open DC fast-charging network with more than 650 charging stations and more than 2,800 individual DC fast chargers. Electrify America expects to have more than 1,800 total charging stations with over 10,000 chargers in the United States and Canada by the end of 2025.
The journey continues along the southern half of the United States as Zietlow and Collins make their way back to the East Coast. They will continue to chronicle the event at vwid4-usatour.com, where visitors to the website can also monitor the location of the ID.4 in real-time.
