British adventurer already holds two electric-powered records, now he's planning on a third...
In 2017, Chris Ramsay and his wife Julie were the first people to complete the 10,000-mile Mongol Rally in an electric vehicle. It took 56 days to drive from the UK to Siberia, passing through 20 countries. The following year, Ramsey made the Guinness Book of World Records for greatest distance traveled on an e-bike in 12 hours by peddling 177.81 miles.
Now, he's planning to cover 17,000 miles from the South Pole to the magnetic North Pole in electric vehicles. The route will take him across 14 countries and three continents, in temperatures expected to range from -30C to 28C (-22F to 82F). The trip will take an estimated 120 days to complete and, if all goes well, Ramsey will take off on his Pole to Pole adventure in late 2022.
“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,” Ramsey said. “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.”
Polar specialist Arctic Trucks is preparing the electric expedition vehicles, planning the Arctic and Antarctic routes and providing logistical support.
“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,” said Arctic Truck chairman Emil Grimsson. “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.”