British Adventurer Will Drive Electric Vehicle From South Pole To North Pole

Chris Ramsey, a British adventurer and the holder of a Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled on an e-bike in 12 hours, will be the first person to undertake an epic journey: driving from the South Pole to the magnetic North Pole to raise awareness about climate change.

Not only is he doing the record-attempting drive for climate change awareness, but he also wants to show how electric cars can help reduce our carbon footprints and prove that they are capable even in the most extreme climates.

The Pole to Pole Expedition has already signed up a charging partner that will provide renewable energy for the journey through the Americas. More details will be provided at a later date. The route will cover 17,000 miles across 14 counties and 3 continents. It will take around 120 days to complete.

Temperatures are expected to range from -30°C to 28°C. In total, 29 metric tonnes of CO2 will be saved due to the use of an EV over an ICE vehicle on this journey.

This trip has taken almost four years of planning and is slated to begin in late 2022. Ramsey has been going on adventures in EVs for over a decade. In 2017, he and his wife, Julie, were the first team to complete the Mongol Rally in an EV. That trip was over 10,000 miles through 20 countries in 56 days. It started at the Goodwood Racing Circuit in the UK and ended in Siberia.

On this upcoming electric journey, Chris Ramsey said:

“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. 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.

“For some people, climate change can feel like an issue that is too big for them to have an impact on, but with road vehicles accounting for more than 20% of all harmful emissions worldwide, the switch to electric cars powered by renewable energy could dramatically reduce our carbon footprint.

“By driving over 17,000 miles in these environmental extremes, our aim is to demonstrate that EVs are more than capable of meeting our everyday needs.”

The expedition is being supported by a company called Arctic Trucks, which is a specialist in the polar regions. The company is preparing the expedition vehicles and will provide logistics support. Arctic Trucks will also establish the routes to drive in Antarctica and the Arctic. The company’s chairman, Emil Grimsson, shared his thoughts about the upcoming expedition:

“For over 20 years we have specialized in providing logistical support, engineering expertise and expedition planning for projects in both Polar Regions.  Our setup and expedition solutions have proven over five times the fuel efficiency of a traditional setup and we are continually looking for improvements. 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.

“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.”