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British inventor scoops world record for fastest electric ice cream van

Edd China achieved speeds of almost 74mph – breaking the motorway speed limit.
Edd China achieved speeds of almost 74mph – breaking the motorway speed limit. Edd China achieved speeds of almost 74mph – breaking the motorway speed limit.

A British inventor has broken the motorway speed limit while achieving a Guinness World Record for the fastest electric ice cream van.

Edd China reached speeds of 73.921mph — meaning he could potentially serve a 99 cone to beach-goers in Brighton in the morning and still reach Liverpool for the lunchtime rush.

Mr China and his Whitby Morrison “Amalfi” ice cream van, named Edd’s Electric Ices, broke the record in March over a standing mile at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire.

Mr China began electrifying the van, which originally ran on a Mercedes Sprinter diesel engine, in 2018.

He is passionate about making more ice cream vans CO2-free after discovering they are banned in some London boroughs because of their toxic emissions.

He hopes to roll out a conversion kit for ice cream vans to become electric-powered globally in the near future.

Mr China has already broken seven other quirky speed records, including the world’s fastest motorised shopping trolley, which he is now hoping to make street-legal.

He also boasts the record for world’s largest motorised shopping trolley, with a 3.5-metre-tall creation (11.5ft).

(Paul Michael Hughes/GWR) (Paul Michael Hughes)

His achievements will appear in the latest Guinness World Records 2021 edition.

Editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said: “This year’s incredible edition has been compiled in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

“Halfway through writing it, the world was turned upside down by Covid-19, but despite lockdowns and quarantines, it’s not prevented amazing characters like Edd from breaking records.”