If you’ve ever suffered from ‘range anxiety’ in an electric vehicle (EV), think what British adventurer Chris Ramsey is about to experience on this epic car journey. Next year, he plans to drive a Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole.

I expect he’ll manage ok in the equatorial & temperate zones, but there aren’t many charging points in the Artic and Antarctic, and we all know what the cold does to batteries!

Departing in March 2023, Ramsey and his team – there’ll be an expedition team accompanying him – will travel over 17,000 miles spanning 14 countries from the Arctic through to North, Central and South America, before finally crossing to Antarctica. En route, they will likely experience temperatures ranging from +30c to -30c.

The focus is on the polar regions where the team will face numerous challenges crossing Arctic sea ice, soft snow and crevices. So Ramsey’s Nissan Ariya is being beefed up and equipped by Arctic Trucks, a well known specialist in polar vehicles. They will also provide the logistical support and expertise to help plan a safe and accessible route through the most remote and hostile environments on Earth.

The rest of the Pole to Pole Electric Vehicle Expedition will also have its fair share of difficulties, danger and adventure. The myriad of harsh environments traversing the Americas is sure to prove tough, from torrential rain, mud and soaring temperatures at the equator to the windswept altitude of the Andes – a savage test for any vehicle.

Ramsey and his team have already been planning the expedition for over four years and they intend to use it as a platform to promote electric vehicles, sustainable transport and climate change issues. As they encounter cultures and communities along the way, they will get involved with local projects including visiting a school that teaches children about renewable energy, and venturing into the Ecuadorian Amazon to meet a local tribe who protected their ancestral home.

This isn’t the first electric expedition for Ramsey, who has been adventuring in electric vehicles for over a decade. In 2017 he, and wife Julie, became the first team to complete the Mongol Rally in an all-electric vehicle. The pair travelled over 10,000 miles through 20 countries in 56 days, driving from the UK to Siberia behind the wheel of his Nissan LEAF.

UPDATE 11/01/2023: Nissan have released a new teaser video, to remind us that the Ariya expedition vehicle is due to be unveiled next month.

Presumably, when they unveil the car they will also announce the start date for the expedition.

Further Reading …