Andrej Pečjak decided to challenge the conventional wisdom about electric cars by setting a world record – and he did it by relying on homegrown technology.

Since his he was a young man, Pečjak has been fascinated with an outdoors. A committed rock and ice climber, he developed a passion for the natural world that made him a committed environmentalist. He also had a knack for state-of-the-art technology, and he decided to combine his twin passions in the environmentally friendly field of electric vehicles.

In October 2014, Pečjak decided to set a world record for the longest drive in an electric vehicle without recharging the batteries. By accomplishing this feat, he would prove that electric cars no longer have to suffer from poor range – a problem that had bedeviled the technology for years. In 2013, he had already beaten the formidable Tesla team at a race in Monte Carlo; now he was determined to become the best in the world.

Pečjak began his drive in the Slovenian resort time of Bled and set out for Dubrovnik, Croatia – 726 kilometers to the south. The car, Metron 7, built without government subsidies, was fitted with a state-of-the-art electric motor developed by Letrika, a pioneering Slovenian company. Pečjak had tested the motor on Slovenia’s challenging mountain passes, and he determined that it was up to the challenge.

After several hours, Pečjak made it to Dubrovnik, where he was greeted by a large crowd of people, including the mayor of that Adriatic town. He had approximately 15 kilometers of power to spare. His arrival made history books – no one had ever driven an electric car that far in ordinary traffic without recharging. And Pečjak had spent only about 10 euros worth of power for his record-breaking drive.

Pečjak now owns a company that can replace just about any car engine with an electric motor – his contribution to preserving the natural environment that he has loved for years.