Andy and I finished the 2024 Baltic Sea Circle Rally, the northernmost rally in the world, from June 22 to July 7. We rallied through nine countries and nearly 5,000 miles in just over two weeks. We became the first non-European EV team to compete in and finish the Baltic Sea Circle Rally and were also the only all-electric team competing that year. In our final article installment, we’re giving you a video sneak peek of rally days 13-16 with our 2024 all-electric German-spec short wheelbase Volkswagen ID. Buzz van.
In Part 1, we drove through Germany and Sweden and entered the lower part of Norway. In Part 2, we continued through Norway, rolling our way to the northernmost point anyone can drive to in Europe: Nordkapp. It’s known as the North Cape in North America. In Part 3, we’re pushing our way through the rest of Norway, Finland, and into Estonia. What a way to test an all-electric vehicle!
This final story includes our Instagram reel highlights as they happened during the rally: Days 13-16. We figured out our way from northern Estonia all the way through Latvia, Lithuania, and back to Germany to the finish line. No GPS or navigation, just paper maps. We only had a 1.5-hour window to finish on time, 16 days and nearly 5,000 miles later. Will we make our way with electrified, self-sustaining travel?! Read on and watch to find out.
Day 13: Raudsilla, Estonia to Riga, Latvia
We left the serenity and beautiful grounds of Raudsilla in Estonia for Riga, Latvia, a concrete jungle packed with electric buses, tons of traffic, and motorcycles that used every extra square centimeter as their race track to get past you quicker. Driving in this big city is no joke. It’s like combining Philly and Chicago and putting it on steroids.
DAY 13 QUICK STATS:
•13 hours, 44 minutes
•430 kilometers, 267 miles
•3 EV charges
•Now in Latvia (7 of 9 countries)
•Lithuania NEXT!
•Finishes in Germany
Once we found our way to our second, and final, Airbnb of the rally, we dropped our belongings and hoped for a shower—but we were out of luck—no hot water. Turns out the entire city section we were in was undergoing some sort of unexpected water main repair, and we were unlucky recipients of it. No showers for us, grimy and weary travelers.
But, we washed up with cold water anyway and used Riga’s Lyft-type system to get to dinner: Bolt. Each ride cost us less than $2 USD for a 20-minute ride. Fabulous. We ate at an amazing restaurant called Two More Beers, raising a glass to toast yet another new country: Latvia! This was also July 4th, the United States’ independence day.
A Three-Country Push
Day 14 was a difficult day. We’d travel through the rest of Latvia, all of Lithuania, and some of Poland. We can start seeing the 2024 @superlativeadventureclub Baltic Sea Circle Rally finish line in our sights! Our Volkswagen ID. Buzz rally van was proving to be a faithful competitor, keeping us comfortable and safe, no matter if we’re Mexico-style shoulder driving to let others pass you on a two-lane highway in Latvia or while sleeping in it while wild camping. More to come as we near the finish line.
Day 14: Riga, Latvia to Giżycko, Poland
We left Riga, Latvia, and pushed through the rest of the country. We made it through all of Lithuania and into Poland, too. It was a long three-country EV charging-challenged day.
DAY 14 QUICK STATS:
•16 hours, 3 minutes
•566 kilometers, 352 miles
•3 EV charges
•Charge delays: 2 hrs., 40 min.
•Latvia, Lithuania
•Now in Poland (9 of 9 countries)
It turns out Tesla doesn’t charge non-Tesla EVs in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, or Poland. But, in Scandinavia, they do. We spent over 90 minutes trying to find a 150kW charger in Riga, Latvia, to charge our Volkswagen ID. Buzz van. We also had other charging issues that slowed us down, leaving us with a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes of charging delays before we even plugged in.
However, once we successfully started charging, the ID. Buzz easily showed us how much power we had, how much time we needed to fill to whatever percentage we wanted, and more. We could even schedule it to shut off at a certain level if we needed it.
The Hill of Crosses
Our main rally task was to create a homemade cross and place it at the Hill of Crosses in northern Lithuania, a place of pilgrimage by many. We made it from Gorilla Tape and old dry branches sourced from a gas station near Riga.
The Hill of Crosses was surreal and humbling. Thousands of crosses adorned the site, each carefully placed by someone—for someone.
After continual charging challenges and the kindness of multiple Polish people helping us, we made our way to an organized campsite in Giżycko well after they closed. The security guard let us sleep in the parking lot for free while still using the facilities. Many thanks were exchanged. We laid our weary heads and dreamt of the last full day of the rally: Day 15. We’d head into Germany and spend one final evening before finishing this epic 16-day, nine-country Baltic Sea Circle Rally the following day. Much more to come!
Day 15: Giżycko, Poland to Berlin, Germany
We pushed out of Poland and back into Germany, where the 2024 Baltic Sea Circle Rally started. Nine countries and 16 long days are nearing completion. It’s hard to believe we, @andy_lilienthal as driver and @mercedes_lilienthal as navigator, had the chops to keep up with the rest of the rally as the only all-electric vehicle, as well as the only non-European team to have attempted this 7,500-kilometer feat with an EV.
DAY 15 QUICK STATS:
•15 hours, 44 minutes
•864 kilometers, 537 miles
•4 EV charges
•In Germany
•Nine countries/16 days
•Finish NEXT!
Once again, we woke up before everyone else so we could get a move on. Charging challenges gave way when a sole Ionity charge unit surprised us with a charge experience that gave us watts in mere minutes! Awesome.
The VW ID. Buzz has been great to charge, but it’s been a struggle to figure out how to pay for the charges when rallying overseas. The European and Baltic privatized charging system is a maze of different apps, charging cards, RFID keys, and ways to use them. Only two of 36 total chargers we used during the rally had direct-credit card pay opportunities.
We stuck to larger cities farther south in Poland when other teams hugged the Baltic Sea. Bugs and storms did their best to keep us at bay.
Kindness of Ralliers
Fellow ralliers @pthed_ graciously offered us to stay with them in Berlin so we could have a place to sleep the night before the finish. We accepted, shared beers and food, and had a great time together. That’s the power of the #rallycommunity. Thank you, team No. 55.
Day 16 was the finish. Our first overseas endurance rally will come to a close. It’s our final push to the Baltic Sea Circle Rally checkered flag.
Day 16: Berlin, Germany to Hamburg, Germany (the FINISH LINE)
We left Berlin and headed to the 2024 Superlative Adventure Club Baltic Sea Circle Rally finish line. After 16 long days and nine countries (eight being new to us), we conquered the mother of all SAC rallies as the first non-European team to compete/finish the rally with an all-electric vehicle. We were also the only EV auto that rallied that year, making our first overseas competition a challenging and extremely rewarding one.
DAY 16 QUICK STATS:
•4 hours, 26 minutes
•286 kilometers, 178 miles
•1 charge/only EV
•DONE: nine countries/16 days
•First non-Euro EV team
We drove 7,678 total kilometers/4,771 total miles. Our early-2024 German-spec short wheelbase Volkswagen ID. Buzz started with 4,073 km and ended with 11,751 km. Eight of our 36 total rally charges started under 20% (appr. 22.2% of our charges), with one being at 9% and the other at 10%. Three drive days were over 16 hours traveled, one over 15 hours. Most days on the road were long, with our mornings starting between 4:30am and 5:30am as others still snoozed.
Our steadfast ID. Buzz was comfortable, fun to drive, and had zero mechanical or battery issues. It was a snap to charge, too. However, figuring out how to pay for charging as an overseas customer was a different story. Armed with tons of pre-rally research, we ended up amassing a German-based smartphone and used that plus our U.S. ones, four EV charging cards, and 16 total EV apps (13 used) to successfully finish the competition. It was a road rally truly never to forget.
Finish line photo courtesy: @peugeot_106_rallyteam.