Electric Vehicle Successfully Completes Historic Journey from Magnetic North Pole to South Pole

Scottish adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey made history with their completion of the nine-month, 17,000-mile “Pole To Pole EV” expedition. This unprecedented journey marked the first drive from the 1823 Magnetic North Pole to South Pole in an electric car, specifically a modified Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE electric vehicle, prepared by Icelandic specialist Arctic Trucks. Their vehicle was equipped with larger 39-inch tires, matching wheel arches, ice-friendly gear, and body reinforcement work, all to withstand the challenging terrain and weather conditions.

Despite these modifications, the vehicle’s range was reduced to just 150 to 200 miles, down from the original 272-mile mark, due to the added load. The Ramseys had to employ innovative techniques to keep the car battery warm and maintain efficiency during the Arctic and Antarctic legs of the journey.

They utilized a mix of renewable energy sources, including a 5kW wind turbine, a prototype solar hybrid charging solution, and a petrol generator for backup. Chris emphasized that the purpose of “Pole To Pole EV” was to demonstrate that electric vehicles could serve as a viable alternative to diesel-powered expedition vehicles in polar regions.

During their travels through the Americas, charging facilities were more readily available in the northern part of the region. To address the challenge of charging infrastructure in Central and South America, “Pole To Pole EV” partnered with Enel X Way, an EV charging solutions provider, to install chargers along their route, especially in Peru. Enel X Way has committed to keeping these chargers available to the public in the future, thus expanding the electric Pan-American charging corridor.

This is not the first electric vehicle expedition for the Ramseys, as they previously completed the Mongol Rally in a modified Nissan Leaf Acenta in 2017. Charging along the route was challenging, but the couple successfully covered 10,000 miles in 56 days. Chris noted that a significant charging network has since developed across the rally route since their completion, encouraging others to take on similar electric vehicle challenges in the future.