In Germany, a new Guinness World Record was set this week when a driver recorded the longest distance driven in reverse while behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz truck model.
German Armed Forces officer Maego Hellgrewe, aged 50, broke his own record for the longest distance driven in reverse in an articulated truck as an individual after travelling for 124.7km in reverse without interruption in a battery electric long-haul eActros 600 truck, including a semitrailer.
Hellgrewe has held the record since 2008, this time breaking his own previous efforts by around 36kms when he reversed 89kms in a diesel truck in the US in 2020.
The record-breaking effort was done on the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben racetrack in Saxony-Anhalt, taking around six hours and 22 minutes to complete as the truck travelled at an average speed of 20km/h.
The closed-off route held the truck, before the truck then completed 30kms in reverse on public roads. It included 14 tight bends designed for cars, creating a demanding route that differed from solely tackling public roads.
The truck crossed the finishing line at the new Daimler Truck Global Parts Centre in Halberstadt, Germany, with Hellgrewe completing the journey to raise awareness of e-mobility, road safety and truck driver perceptions.
“I’m incredibly proud to have brought back the record to Germany together with Mercedes-Benz Trucks – especially as it was a world first with an all-electric drive,” Hellgrewe says.
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“By doing so, we have sent out a powerful message for the future of alternative drives. I am convinced that we have also drawn broad attention to the topics of road safety and driver image that are particularly important to me as an examiner of learner truck drivers, who tend to be younger.
“There have been many people from every area of society, including numerous experienced and learner truck drivers, who have spoken to me about the activity and gave me very positive feedback.”
The trip involved 476 bends, with Hellgrewe saying the eActros 600 and its assistance systems made driving so much easier.
“My thanks go out to Mercedes-Benz Trucks for the excellent support which made the new record possible in the first place,” he says.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks head of product engineering Rainer Müller-Finkeldei congratulated Hellgrewe on the incredible effort.
“We are especially pleased that he set the new record with our all-electric powered Mercedes-Benz eActros 600. Marco Hellgrewe’s unusual trip in the service of transformation towards alternative drives will surely have a certain signalling effect for the industry and for society,” he says.
“In dialogue with all stakeholders, specifically from the areas of politics and power supplies, we intend to continue to campaign for even more commitment to creating stronger incentives for our customers to make purchases and to promote the development of the charging infrastructure.
“Reversing is a central part of the day-to-day work of truck drivers and Marco Hellgrewe more than clearly showed the whole world that a great deal of concentration and ability are needed for this. Each and every day, truck drivers perform great tasks for society and this must be given corresponding recognition, too – specifically in the light of the increasing shortage of drivers.”
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