Unimog Sets Record For ‘Highest Altitude Ever Driven’
Two Mercedes Unimogs ascended a Chilean mountain to the tune of record 22,615 feet, which is more than four miles above sea level.
Record are still being broken despite the automobile being more than a century old. This time around, the record setter was Mercedes by the way of some Unimogs. Their achievement? The highest altitude ever driven by a wheeled vehicle. Chile’s ‘Ojos del Salado’ – or ‘Eyes of Salt’ according to Dupont Registry, is one of the tallest mountains in that country. It is also one of the tallest active volcanos in the world as well. As such, it makes for a popular exploration site. These Unimogs were on the mountain in order to install emergency radio equipment to assist explorers with Matthias Jeschke leading the team.
The Unimogs were specially made for this expedition, featuring interesting off-road technology. Unique tires with chains were fitted to the U 5023 Unimogs to deal with the loose rocky surface. More interestingly, the trucks also feature “variable center of gravity balancing” systems. This assists the teams in carrying heavier loads on ever changing surfaces. Daimler indicates “specialists at the Unimog Museum, Unimog bodybuilder AS Söder and by engineers from the Unimog development team” developed the system.
Initially, the plan was to install the radio equipment at a base camp with an altitude of 6100 meters. After that was complete, and the record was obviously within reach, one Unimog set off solo. Reaching an altitude of 6694 meters, it set the world record.
The mountain itself is 6893 meters tall, and there’s no particular reason given for why the Unimog didn’t reach the summit. It could be that the air is simply so thin at higher altitudes that is is not possible for a motor to operate efficiently. The terrain could be so rugged that it is simply not passable by even the toughest off-road vehicle. Let’s also not ignore that it is an active volcano. This new record actually bested Mercedes own from back in 2014. At that time, Jeschke had used the Mercedes Zetros truck.
There might be ways to modify motors to deal with running at higher altitudes. Issues with thin air and lack of oxygen can possibly be overcome by oxygen injection or other methods to keep combustion possible. Either way, we feel Mercedes left a little bit on the table in order to set the bar ever higher in the future.
Photos: Daimler
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