30,000km expedition: Nissan Ariya becomes first car to trek from pole to pole
Forget Chris and Penny from that Jetta advert back in the day, it’s Chris and Julie that really go the extra mile.
Husband and wife adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey from the UK have driven from the North Pole to the South Pole in a Nissan Ariya. Nissan says this is the first time that any car, let alone and electric vehicle, has completed such a journey.
The 30,000km epic journey took them 10 months. Starting on the frozen Arctic Sea at the 1823 Magnetic North Pole, they tackled a wide variety of terrains and conditions of North, Central and South America before carefully traversing the most remote continent on the planet, to reach the South Pole.
The Nissan Ariya, with e-4ORCE all-wheel control, was modified by polar mobility specialists Arctic Trucks, to accommodate 39-inch BF Goodrich tires. No changes were made to the powertrain.
Chris and Julie began planning Pole to Pole in 2017 after completing the Mongol Rally in their Nissan Leaf, the first time an EV had been used to tackle the 10,000-km challenge.
This made them realise how much interest this type of epic adventure could generate in electric vehicles, as well as creating a legacy of charging infrastructure behind. They felt Pole to Pole was the ultimate EV adventure and made it a reality through a commitment to collaboration and innovation with like-minded partners.
“I can’t believe we’re at the South Pole. After so many years of planning, it doesn’t feel real,” Chris said. “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.
“I’m proud that Pole to Pole has reached millions of people in parts of the world and enthused them about embracing EV in their day to day lives.”
Julie added, ”This has been an incredible journey, with the people we’ve met, the friends we’ve made and the support we’ve received. Pole to Pole started out as just Chris and I, but the expedition team is now made of up of thousands of kind, forward-thinking people. These supporters and contributors want to make a difference and share the excitement of electric driving.”
Allyson Witherspoon, Corporate vice president, Nissan Global Marketing, Brand and Merchandizing, said, ”On behalf of everyone at Nissan, congratulations on completing Pole to Pole. We all admire your daring spirit and passion for pushing the boundaries of electric adventure. It has been an extraordinary journey to follow and a point of pride for us at Nissan.”
You can see how the Polo to Pole adventure unfolded on the Instagram account @PoletoPoleEV
IOL Motoring