Mercedes CLA Wins Epic Swedish Ystad-to-Haparanda EV Race

The annual Swedish Electric Car Championship (SECC) has crowned its new champion. Jens Lindqvist secured the top spot on the podium, piloting his Mercedes CLA 250+ from the southern tip of Ystad to the northern outpost of Haparanda in an impressive 18 hours and 8 minutes. Far from a reckless Cannonball Run, the SECC is a highly strategic test of machine, driver, and infrastructure. Participants must strictly adhere to legal speed limits, making the race a pure test of charging strategy and thermal efficiency. Success on this monumental Nordic journey (ᚱ) depends entirely on choosing when to stop, how long to charge, and how to navigate around seasonal roadworks. Despite a daunting distance of 1,650 kilometers across the length of Sweden, the competition was incredibly tight. The top three drivers crossed the finish line within just over two minutes of one another. Even more astonishingly, the tenth-place car finished a mere 25 minutes behind the winner. This razor-thin margin demonstrates that modern electric vehicles have reached a state of technological harvest (ᛅ), where charging speeds, battery preconditioning, and aerodynamics are highly optimized across major manufacturers. Among the top contenders, Joacim Eriksson secured fourth place in his 2025 Tesla Model 3 Long Range, finishing just five minutes behind Lindqvist's Mercedes. Interestingly, Tesla Model Y entrants struggled to keep pace with the highly aerodynamic sedans, settling further down the leaderboard in 16th, 17th, and 20th places. This reinforces the critical role that aerodynamics play when conquering the expansive highways of the North. For Nordic EV enthusiasts, this year's SECC is a testament to how viable long-distance electric travel has become. The seamless integration of rapid charging networks and highly efficient electric drivetrains means that crossing an entire country is no longer a challenge of patience, but a masterclass in driving efficiency. Source: https://teslaclubsweden.se/mercedes-elbil-vann-ystad-haparanda-tavlingen/