Pole to pole ‘is the ultimate test for an electric car’
A couple is setting out this month to try and drive an electric from the Arctic to the Antarctic in ten months.
Husband and wife team Chris and Julie Ramsey are travelling 17,000 miles (27,000 kilometres) from the Magnetic North to South Pole with the vehicle powered by solar and wind energy.
“This journey has never been done before in an electric car and is the ultimate test for this vehicle,” said Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox.
The couple, who have been planning their expedition for the past four years, will travel through north, central, and south America and have to cope with weather conditions ranging from icy Arctic winds of -30C, to blistering tropical temperatures of +30C.
They will drive through 14 countries. Starting in the Arctic, they will pass through Canada, the USA, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina and then on to the Antarctica.
Sponsored by Nissan, they will be taking their Nissan Ariya electric car, which has been extensively modified and equipped for extreme conditions with large tyres as they drive across the planet.
There are also some mod-cons, including a coffee machine in the boot and a drone launcher, so the couple can film their journey.
As well the vehicle will be towing a portable charging device, which is a wind turbine supported by solar, to harness the renewable energy sources of the wind and the sun to power the vehicle.
While they’re travelling Julie and Chris, from Aberdeen, are hoping to cover around 100km a day (62 miles), and to spend about 16 hours a day putting energy back into the battery.
But they said that all depends on what the impact of -30C conditions will have on the battery and range of the car.
They said they were taking ten months for the trip so they would benefit from the sun for solar power in the summer season in the Arctic, and from daylight 24 hours a day in the Antarctica.
It is not the couple’s first electric car challenge. In 2017, they were the first team to complete the Mongol Rally in an electric car – a 10,000-mile (16,000km) journey from London to Mongolia.
“When completed this journey will prove that electric cars be driven anywhere in the world and will be a great boost to this growing green industry,” Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science Innovation Park. “This journey will really push the car to its limits and to see what capability it has.”
If you want any advice on green energy solutions, or reducing your heating bills contact Ron on 0845 474 6641.
Caption: Going pole to pole in an electric car – Chris and Julie Ramsey. Photo: Nissan Motor Corporation
