Many children are thinking about the North Pole these days, after all, Santa Claus is supposed to come from there (or from the area). Even if its existence is often doubted, especially in Austria, in contrast to that of the Christ Child. But who really comes from the North Pole is a British adventurer couple. Although recently they have come from the South Pole, because they traveled there within ten months, from pole to pole.
And (at least locally) with less CO2 emissions than Santa Claus and his reindeer, because their sleigh was a modified Nissan Ariya. With it, Chris and Julie Ramsey covered a total of over 30,000 kilometers purely electrically. Their adventure took the two of them – from pole position to pole position, so to speak – through a wide variety of landscapes and conditions in North, Central and South America before they completed the final stage Antarctica started. For the first time ever, such an expedition was successfully completed with a car. The fully electric expedition vehicle, equipped with the all-wheel drive called e-4ORCE, mastered the long distances in rough terrain at extreme temperatures and at high altitudes very well, and the drive train and battery were completely intact as standard. Apart from that, the Ariya was fitted with 39-inch BF Goodrich tires by Arctic Trucks, a polar mobility specialist. The Ariya electric SUV towed a trailer equipped with a wind turbine and solar panels to provide some of the charging needs along the route.Six years of preparationChris and Julie Ramsey began planning for the Pole to Pole expedition back in 2017 after completing the Mongol Rally in their Nissan LEAF – the first time an electric car had been used for the 10,000 kilometer challenge was used. They realized how much interest such an expedition with an electric car can generate and how crucial a good charging infrastructure is. The two agreed that a tour from pole to pole would be the ultimate challenge and put their plan into action in collaboration with like-minded partners. “I can’t believe we’ve now arrived at the South Pole,” says Chris happily Ramsey. “After so many years of planning, it doesn’t really feel real at the moment. I have always had full confidence in the capabilities of electric vehicles and I knew that our Nissan Ariya would overcome all challenges on the expedition. But it was much more difficult than I expected. I’m proud that ‘Pole to Pole’ has reached millions of people around the world and gotten them excited about electric cars in their everyday lives.” “It’s been an incredible journey,” adds Julie Ramsey. “We met so many great people and received so much support. At the beginning Chris and I were all alone at ‘Pole to Pole’. The expedition team now consists of thousands of friendly and progressive-thinking people. All of these supporters want to make a difference and share the enthusiasm for electromobility.” And yet we are writing a letter to the Christ Child – asking for better charging infrastructure. And about more transparency and honesty when it comes to electromobility.
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