Shell International sets new fuel economy Guinness World Record

Driving a VW Golf FSI1.6 fuelled by a new Shell International gasoline formulation, their goal was to travel around the world covering 28,970 kilometres in 25 countries on four continents in 70 days – and to use less than 50 tanks of gasoline.

On April 4, they drove back into London – triumphant by a huge margin. In the end it took them 78 days to cover the distance, but they needed only 24 fill-ups to do so. More specifically, they used 1,303 litres of gasoline, and averaged a remarkable 4.5 litres per 100 kilometres (22.2 km/l, or 62.7 miles per gallon).

Some parts of the trip involved transporting their car across oceans by ship and flying to meet it, but the actual driving distance was all on roads.

The Taylors began their journey in London at Waterloo Place, appropriately passing in front of The Reform Club, where Jules Verne’s fictional Philleas Fogg started his 80-day journey around the world by balloon, and they ended their trip at the finish line in Shell Centre in Central London.

During the North American segment of their trip they visited Toronto and Montréal March 25 and 26.

Virtually every element of their journey including their car was standard, “off the shelf” equipment. The only non-standard part of the trip was that their vehicle was fuelled by the new Shell Fuel Economy Formula, a gasoline formula developed by Shell International, an affiliate of Shell Canada.

For the attempt to qualify as an official Guinness World Record, John and Helen were required to travel in one direction only, covering a distance of at least 28,970 kilometres. They couldn’t back-track, and they had to cross two antipodal points during their trip (two points on the Earth’s surface that are diametrically opposite one another). Guinness also requires that the car is a standard production model. There are many other strict rules and regulations covering independent adjudication, log books, witnesses, pre-travel engineering checks, and driving times.

The Taylors’ car was accompanied by a crew consisting of an independent witness, a videographer to document the journey, a writer to help chronicle the Taylors’ adventures, and two Volkswagen support personnel.

During the journey they encountered some amazing extremes. They experienced temperatures from –15°C in Macedonia to 46°C in the Australian outback – somewhat familiar to them since Australia is their home. They also drove through hail, tropical storms, cyclones, torrential rain, snow, ice and flood, gale-force winds, and across plains, mountains and rutted and pitted tracks masquerading as roads.

And they were welcomed by ministers of state, and entertained by dancing camels, rap artists and Maori warriors. They met monkeys in India and speedy “tuk tuk” (motorized rickshaw) drivers in Bangkok. They experienced a variety of beautiful and iconic backdrops along the way, from Lake Lucerne in Switzerland to the snowy mountains of the Czech Republic, and from the Sydney Opera House in Australia to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The Taylors, who shared the driving 50-50, are ecstatic about their record-breaking achievement. “Getting this trip together was the realization of a great ambition for Helen and myself,” John says. “It’s been the trip of a lifetime – absolutely unforgettable. I am so proud to have set the record with Shell.”

The Taylors are holders of 34 other notable fuel economy driving achievements, but this is their most significant record.

Shell International has consistently been at the forefront of innovative fuels and lubricants technology, pioneering new formulations and helping to deliver fuel economy. And by combining technology with real, on-the-road tests, Shell International has been able to develop many products designed for fuel efficiency, as well as helping to lower the overall quantities of vehicle exhaust emissions.

The Guinness challenge trip provided Shell International’s fuel researchers with a unique opportunity to test its new fuel literally around the world. It was a tough road test enabling Shell to assess the performance and effectiveness of its new gasoline formulation, and helped to further develop fuel-efficient driving practices appropriate to widely differing road conditions.