Adventurers Take Nissan Ariya Across Globe
Following 10 months and over 18,000 miles of driving, a pair of explorers have completed an epic drive from our planet’s North Pole to its South Pole. That’s a helluva drive no matter the vehicle or conditions, but the team of Chris and Julie Ramsey chose to take it on in an all-electric Nissan Ariya.
Yeah, that got our attention, too, when press releases started cropping up about this endeavor sometime last year. Team Ramsey left the North Pole (magnetic) in the early months of 2022 with sights set on hitting the South Pole and claiming a world record for long distance driving in an electric vehicle. Actually, according to the crew, this marks the first time such a journey has been completed in a car, electric or not.
Two birds, one stone, and so forth.
The adventurers began planning what eventually became this Pole-to-Pole Challenge way back in 2017 after completing the Mongol Rally in a Nissan Leaf. That accomplishment, no small beans in its own right, was the first time an electric vehicle had been used to tackle the 6,000+ mile test which has had no qualms laying waste to far sterner machinery over the years.
As for this quest, Nissan insists the Ariya’s basics – namely, powertrain and battery – were factory standard with no modifications. It only takes the gift of sight to deduce there are obvious mods to the body and tire selection but those alterations are certainly not out of line with the prep one might expect on a rig intended to be driven from the North to South Pole. Those changes were undertaken by polar mobility specialists Arctic Trucks (anyone who’s watched Top Gear will recognize that name) to accommodate 39-inch BF Goodrich tires.
We’ve plenty of questions of course, not the least of which surround the issue of charging the Ariya in remote places and how its battery handled frigid ambient temperatures at the extreme ends of our planet. But in the moment, we’ll simply applaud this feat of driving – one which would be impressive in any machine, let alone an EV.
[Image: Nissan]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.
More by Matthew Guy
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- VoGhost I know one commenter who would love to live in Kia towers.
- VoGhost Matt, do us all a favor, will you? Since you love the term 'EV mandate' so much, could you please point to a single country or state that has mandated that consumers buy an EV? At any point in time - historical or the future. Just one, Matt. Just a single place where the term 'EV mandate' is even close to being true.
- VoGhost Just so we all have this correct, you're saying that the red states that refuse to educate their children or fund healthcare for their citizens also want them to die earlier from fossil fuel pollution? OK. I see. Makes the decision in November a little more stark.
- Golden2husky The image that sustainable products are second-rate is a problem that the industry has to overcome. Best way to do that is to make sure your first effort is a home run right out of the box. Michelin is the type of company that can make it happen.
- VoGhost At some point, is TTAC going to explain how Tesla doesn't have MSRPs or dealers or dealer incentives? That there's no cash on the hood, subsidized leases or other games that legacy ICE automakers play with consumers? Or is it just easier and more profitable for TTAC to just continue to make an article of every price fluctuation?
Comments
Join the conversation
I’m sure they were pole to pole many times on this trip.
Me thinks they were followed around by a large diesel powered entourage and a not insignificant generator. And lots of cocoa.