Chris and Julie Ramsey completed their 10-month road trip from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole, making them the first people on Earth to drive a car, EV or ICE, over 18,500-miles from the top of our planet to the bottom of it.
The couples’ Nissan Ariya was upfitted by polar mobility specialists at Arctic Trucks to accommodate the 39-inch tires, but aside from that was completely stock from the battery to the drivetrain and everything in between.
The couple started their journey at the North Pole in March where they drove across the frozen Arctic Sea, and continued south through the North and South American continents before traversing the most remote continent on Earth, Antarctica.
As a reminder, Chris and Julie Ramsey were the first people to ever complete the Mongol Rally in an EV, and they used a Nissan Leaf to cover that 10,000 kilometer course, so the Ramseys are no strangers to long road trips in Nissan EVs. They started planning this expedition six years ago in 2017.
The Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE AWD already has somewhat-low range estimates as standard between 205 and 272-miles depending on battery and wheel sizes, so with the 39-inch tires the Ramsey’s Ariya must have needed lots of charge breaks. According to Electrek,
The original plan had been to use a trailer with a small windmill to charge the car while parked while in polar regions, but the trailer didn’t work out on Arctic roads. But for the Antarctic portion, the Ramseys have been using solar panels to help charge the car at “night” (which can be any time of day – the polar region is in constant sunlight at this time of year), in addition to using generators when the weather isn’t in their favor, highlighting the ability of EVs to be fueled by several different energy sources instead of just one.
The trip through North America was relatively simple on big highways with plenty of chargers (and a quick stop to meet up with us, and the OC Tesla Club, in Long Beach), except that the Ariya was significantly less efficient after modifications. Between the huge off-road tires, fenders, and roof rack with rooftop tent, range was cut significantly.
But these range losses are part of the message that the Ramseys want to send, anyway. If they can make it all the way from one end of the globe to the other with a 150-200 mile range (down from the 272-mile rating of the Ariya), this shows that most people don’t “need” the huge range they claim they need.
This incredible feat proves that EVs can be just as capable as ICE vehicles, as long as you have the proper planning and ingenuity. Despite the low range numbers of their custom Ariya, the Ramseys were able to make the long journey from the tippy top of the world to the desolate and uncharted bottom using a mostly-stock, $60,000-ish SUV.