A pole-to-pole trip in an specially-adapted Nissan Ariya EV has begun by adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey.
Following a safety assessment, the team has set out from the 1823 North Magnetic Pole with a drive south covering more than 27,000 km through North, Central and South America. The journey will end at Antarctica’s South Pole in December this year.
If completed, the journey will be the first undertaken by a 100% electric vehicle with the team keen to show EVs capability across a larger distance.
The expedition-ready Nissan Ariya has undergone minor modifications to cope with the extreme terrains. Most notably, the suspension has been lifted and wheel arches extended to accommodate 39-inch tires that will assist the car in “floating” on deep snow and sea ice. No modifications were made to the Ariya’s battery and powertrain, which are the standard e-4ORCE system – Nissan’s electric all-wheel-control technology.
The vehicle will tow a renewable energy unit, including an extendable wind turbine and solar panels. It is expected the unit will use energy from high winds and long daylight hours during the team’s rest breaks from driving. The team hope the charging innovation can have a positive legacy by inspiring a transition to electric vehicles for future polar exploration.
Chris Ramsey said: “After four years of planning and hard work, we’re so excited to officially get Pole to Pole underway. Julie and I have done several EV adventures over the past 10 years but Pole to Pole is definitely our biggest and most exciting challenge. We’ve had to think differently, be innovative and collaborate with like-minded partners to make this expedition a reality.
“Our expedition Ariya is fun to drive and performed well over the 5,000 km journey to get to this starting point. It gives us the confidence we can tackle every driving scenario we’ll face in the coming months.”
Julie Ramsey said: “We’re excited to share our adventure with you and shine a light on the amazing people, communities and projects along the way that is making a positive difference to the climate crisis. We’d love for everyone to be part of Pole to Pole, so please follow and get involved in the adventure on our social channels.”
Image courtesy of Nissan
