Gennevilliers, Hauts-de-Seine -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/11/2014 --Rainer Zietlow set a new world record on the North Cape (Norway) to Cape Agulhas (South Africa) route on October 12, 2014. On this record-setting drive, Zietlow drove a Volkswagen Touareg V6TDI powered by the new Exide Start-Stop AGM battery. Taking 21 days, 16 hours and 36 minutes to complete the route, Zietlow beat the previous record of 28 days, which had stood for 30 years.

"On such a long-distance drive, the battery plays a crucial role," said Zietlow. "It supplies power not only for engine start, but also for power-hungry equipment like the satellite, computers, car-drive fridge and headlights." The new Exide Start-Stop AGM battery Zietlow installed in his car was launched at Automechanika in September 2014. It provides 20% more power and four times longer cycle life than a standard battery.

The world record drive was interrupted by an accident caused by another driver in Tanzania. Although the engine, gearbox and battery stayed intact, the front gear was heavily damaged and had to be repaired at the Volkswagen importer garage in Dar es Salaam for 13 days. If you take away the time for repairs, the trip of around 17,000 km was covered in just 8 days, 10 hours and 26 minutes.

It is not the first time that Exide and Zietlow have worked together. The German adventurer also set the world records on the Pan-American Highway and the eastern Melbourne–St. Petersburg axis, again with Exide batteries installed. "On my world record tours, Exide was always on board and never failed," Zietlow said. He plans to visit Exide dealers, distributors and customers on his upcoming roadshow across Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

About Rainer Zietlow
Rainer Zietlow and his agency Challenge4 GmbH specialize in planning and executing worldwide automotive projects with Volkswagen cars. His automotive success includes three Guinness World Records – the new altitude record for series vehicles with a Volkswagen Touareg V6 in Chile in 2005; the first natural-gas-driven circumnavigation of the world in a Volkswagen Caddy EcoFuel in 2006/2007; and the longest distance in one country (Russia) with a Volkswagen Amarok. In between, Rainer Zietlow set two long-distance world records by completing the famous road "Panamericana" from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska in 2011 and by driving from Melbourne (Australia) to St. Petersburg (Russia) one year later in the shortest possible time.

On almost every project since 2005, Rainer Zietlow has supported the SOS Children's Village organization by donating 20 euro cent per kilometre and visiting at least one SOS Children's Village personally to hand over the donation. On his latest Cape to Cape project, Rainer is also supporting the Food & Trees for Africa organization in South Africa by planting 570 trees to make the whole project CO2 emissions neutral.

For more information, video and photos about Rainer Zietlow and his projects, please visit: http://www.challenge4.de

About Exide Technologies
Exide Technologies, with operations in more than 80 countries, is one of the world's largest producers and recyclers of lead-acid batteries. The company's global business groups provide a comprehensive range of stored electrical energy products and services for industrial and transportation applications. Transportation markets include original-equipment and aftermarket automotive, heavy-duty truck, agricultural and marine applications, and new technologies for hybrid vehicles and automotive applications. Industrial markets include network power applications such as telecommunications systems, electric utilities, railroads, photovoltaic (solar-power related) and uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and motive-power applications including lift trucks, mining and other commercial vehicles.

Further information about Exide, including its financial results, is available at http://www.exide.com