Driving from the 'top of the world' to the 'bottom of the world' in an EV

Piston.my

Driving from the ‘top of the world’ to the ‘bottom of the world’ in an EV

One of the things that still worries people about owning an electric vehicle is the distance it can travel before recharging of the battery pack is needed and, more importantly, whether they will find a station to do the recharging. It’s called ‘range anxiety’ and while constantly advancing battery technology is extending the range, there is still that fear for many people.

Well, Chris Ramsey cannot afford to have range anxiety on his mission next year as he will commit to driving over 27,000 kms in the Nissan Ariya, a SUV powered only by electricity. Ramsey will be undertaking the world’s-first all-electric driving adventure from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole.

Departing in March 2023, the Scottish adventurer and his team in an Ariya will travel across several regions and continents as they go from the ‘top of the world’ to the ‘bottom of the world’. He will be the first person to drive in a vehicle of any type on a single journey through North, Central and South America, before crossing over to Antarctica.

The route will negotiate some of the world’s most extreme, brutal, and yet beautiful scenery, from snow-covered glacial landscapes to treacherous mountain climbs and vast desert dunes. It will put the Ariya to many kinds of tests over varied and rough terrain as well as temperatures ranging from below 30⁰C to 30⁰C. Battery packs are sensitive to high and low temperatures so this will also be a test of their durability and reliability in extreme conditions.

In preparation for the freezing Arctic and Antarctic conditions, Ramsey’s expedition vehicle will be modified with a custom rugged exterior fit for extreme terrain with upgraded wheels, tyres and suspension. A second, unmodified Ariya will act as a support vehicle throughout the Americas.

One system which will help Ramsey on rough terrain is e-4ORCE, Nissan’s most advanced all-wheel control technology. The system accurately manages power output and braking performance for smoothness and stability. Its ‘intelligence’ can trace the intended driving line over a variety of road surfaces, including wet and snowy roads, without the need for changes in driving style or input.

*Chris Ramsey with a standard Nissan Ariya fully electric SUV.*

“We’re proud to announce our partnership with Chris Ramsey and the ‘Pole to Pole’ expedition team,” said Nissan Executive Vice-President, Asako Hoshino, Global Head of Marketing & Sales. “The high-profile, challenging and exhilarating adventure supports Nissan Ambition 2030, the company’s long-term vision to empower mobility and beyond with electrification as a central focus. The vision aims to deliver exciting vehicles and technologies that empower customer journeys and society.

This isn’t the first all-electric expedition for Ramsey, though. He’s been on other adventures in electric vehicles for over a decade. In 2017, together with his wife, Julie, Ramsey was in the first team to complete the Mongol Rally in an all-electric vehicle. The pair travelled over 16,000 kms through multiple locales over 56 days in his own Nissan LEAF.

Earlier, in 2015, Ramsey tackled the 2,616-km journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back again in a LEAF, completing the journey across England in 2 days using only publicly available and free EV charging points.