Electric cars have short ranges and are only good for city journeys, right? WRONG! A fallacy which adventurer Chris Ramsey will, next year, try to prove entirely incorrect by driving an electric car from the North to the South Poles.
Prepared by Arctic Trucks
Ramsey, a Guinness World Record holder for the greatest distance travelled on an electric bike, has some form in this regard. In 2017, he and his wife, Julie, became the first team to complete the Mongol Rally in an electric vehicle, travelling over 10,000 miles through 20 countries in 56 days driving from Goodwood Racing Circuit in the UK to Siberia.
The electric car he'll be driving on his Michael-Palin-esque route will actually be an electric truck, specially prepared by Arctic Trucks, the company that prepped the legendary Toyota HiLux driven to the North Pole by Top Gear in 2007.
27,000km journey
The plan is to start the journey at the magnetic South Pole in late 2022 and finish, some 27,000km and 14 countries later, at magnetic North. "Our mission is to show that electric vehicles can tackle the harshest of environments - from the colds of the Poles to the hot and humid jungles of South America. This is the ultimate test of range and durability, and by overcoming these obstacles we aim to prove that EV adoption is a possibility for everyone, while also raising awareness of sustainable lifestyles, conservation projects and renewable energy innovation along our route" said Ramsey. "For some people, climate change can feel like an issue that is too big for them to have an impact on, but with road vehicles accounting for more than 20 per cent of all harmful emissions worldwide, the switch to electric cars powered by renewable energy could dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. By driving over 17,000 miles in these environmental extremes, our aim is to demonstrate that EVs are more than capable of meeting our everyday needs."
29 tonnes of CO2 saved
Emil Grimsson, Chairman of Arctic Trucks, said: "For over 20 years we have specialised in providing logistical support, engineering expertise and expedition planning for projects in both Polar Regions. Our setup and expedition solutions have proven over five times the fuel efficiency of a traditional setup and we are continually looking for improvements. We acknowledge that battery-based electric vehicles have important hurdles to overcome for use in the extreme cold, a challenge for which we are excited to be a part of developing solutions. The Polar Regions are very important to us all for a variety of reasons and operations there will only increase. This project will give us important information about how we develop our future vehicles. We're very excited to be working alongside Chris and his team to offer our support to this timely and unique adventure."
If Ramsey were to make the journey in an equivalent vehicle with an internal combustion engine, his team reckons that it would emit some 29 tonnes of CO2. Along the way, he and his vehicle will have to cope with temperatures ranging from -30C to 28C.