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Couple undertake 21,000 mile expedition from North to South Pole in electric vehicle
Chris and Julie Ramsey just took one serious road trip.
The Ramsey couple parked their Nissan Ariya on a layer of frozen snow and walked over to touch the metal globe statue at the tip of the South Pole. Their incredible journey had started in March, just about nine months prior, when their electric car took them from the icy magnetic North Pole through the highways of America and down the coast of South America, in an epic trek spanning 21,000 miles and 14 countries. By the end, they completed the first expedition by an electric car from the Magnetic North Pole to the South Pole. Nobody has ever made that trek before in a car – let alone an electric vehicle.
“We could have failed at any moment, for whatever reason, and you just don’t know if you’re going to make it,” Julie said to Current news. “… It just proves that EVs [Electric Vehicles] can go the distance.”
The couple wanted to make the drive to show others the power and the capabilities of electric cars. EVs are proven alternatives to gas-powered cars, and run on electric batteries, meaning they offer zero tailpipe emissions, lower fuel costs, and reduce carbon emissions.
Using a standard Nissan Ariya, the only modifications they made were in partnership with Arctic Trucks, to reinforce the body of the truck and add gigantic 39-inch tyres to handle the ice and snow (Chris, an avid coffee lover, also added the power for an espresso machine).
The vehicle’s battery and powertrain were left untouched, and the car was run like a standard EV, requiring regular fuelling stops. The couple couldn’t forgo fossil fuels entirely (requiring a gas-powered generator in the remote Arctic, and at times a solar-powered generator), but they did work with other climate change projects to offset way beyond anything they did emit.
And despite how daunting the task seemed, this wasn’t their first rodeo – the pair had already completed the gruelling Mongol Rally, the 10,000-mile drive from the UK to Mongolia, in a Nissan Leaf. In fact, this wasn’t even Chris’s first Guinness World Records title – he won one for the greatest distance covered in an electric bike in 12 hours for his 177 mile ride.
But this record attempt would require significantly more planning, training, and help. By the time everything was said and done, it took six years for them to plan and develop the trip.
Their expedition began as close as they could safely get to the magnetic North Pole, where temperatures plunged to -45°C (-50°F) as they drove over ice and hidden snowbanks. They would camp in tents outside of their car, or inside if the wind got too bitter.
Once they arrived on the Canadian mainland, they had to rely on recharging stations or outlets provided by generous homeowners. While the pair says the range of powering options was good throughout North America, they commented that many were faulty, and that providers needed to step it up.
Anticipating that access to charging stations would lessen in South America, the pair also carefully mapped out the gaps in the range, and worked with the energy company Enel X to install 20 stations across Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia.
And as they worked their way down south, the only time they had to leave the car was when they had to take a ferry to Colombia to bypass the Darien Gap at the Panama-Colombia border.
From there, they drove through tree-lined roads and the urban cities of Cali in Colombia or Lima in Peru, where they hunted for charging stations and made brief sightseeing stops (when they weren’t concerned about battery!). Along the way, they encountered many generous souls and car lovers, who were happy to offer their services to spruce up their Nissan – or hear about their mission.
It took them until November to reach the final leg of their journey – Antarctica. They arrived at the southernmost point in Chile, Punta Arenas, and prepared to take a flight into the continent, where they would then drive another 700 miles before reaching their destination.
Upon arrival in Antarctica, they met up with their support team with Arctic Trucks, and made the final leg in their snow-crusted, icicle-covered Nissan.
“I can’t believe we’re at the South Pole,” said Chris to Top Gear. “After so many years of planning, it doesn’t feel real. I’ve always had full confidence in the amazing capabilities of electric vehicles, and I knew our Nissan Ariya would tackle everything thrown at it. But it’s been far tougher than I anticipated.”
“We made it!” they said in a post on social media, “Trust your crazy idea, we are testament that dreams can come true if you work hard enough and never give up on your dreams.”
