Nürburg. The American car manufacturer Tesla has set the official record for electric vehicles at the Nürburgring. The "Model S Plaid" circumnavigated the 20.8-kilometre Nordschleife in 7:35.579 minutes and reached a top speed of 279 km/h. The 1,020 hp vehicle with a tri-motor was driven by Swedish driver Andreas Simonsen. The time is now listed in the category for electric production cars, which thus celebrates its premiere. The onboard video of the record drive can be seen on the Nürburgring's Youtube channel. All official times set on the Nordschleife so far can be found here.

To this day, a best time in the so-called "Green Hell" is a special benchmark for the automotive industry. After all, the Nordschleife, opened in 1927, is considered the most demanding race track in the world. On one lap, drivers can expect 73 bends, a 300-metre difference in altitude as well as several demanding climbs, descents and inclines. Accordingly, a time achieved here is valuable.

The official Nürburgring record runs guarantee a uniform standard for the manufacturers. In general, the principle applies here: one track, one whole lap, one time - according to uniform standards. In addition to timekeeping with calibrated measuring equipment, official record attempts as well as attempts to achieve a lap time are always accompanied by a notary. In addition to monitoring the timekeeping, the vehicle is also inspected. The exact track length as well as the start and finish line are precisely defined. A full Nordschleife lap with flying start will be driven and measured (20.8 kilometres). The vehicle categories for record runs and official Nürburgring lap times are subdivided according to various segments of the Federal Motor Transport Authority as well as specially defined special classes.