If you're grumbling about a long commute, maybe you should have a chat with Chris and Julie Ramsey. The Scottish couple have been taking on some epic electric car driving challenges over the years, but in 2023 they really took the biscuit - and some Guinness World Records - with a drive from the North Pole to the South Pole in a Nissan Ariya.
I presume this wasn't a standard Nissan Ariya?
Not quite - as you can see from the photo, or indeed as you will be able to see in person when the Ramseys bring the Ariya to Ireland for a 1,000km trip around our little unfrozen island, stopping off at Nissan dealers along the way - their Ariya did have the massive tractor-like wheels and tyres that you need to tackle frozen Arctic and Antarctic tundra. The Ariya was suitably modified by the famed Arctic Trucks company, which also built the Toyotas that Top Gear famously drove to the Magnetic North Pole.
That was just one Pole, though…
Oh yes, the Ramseys went from Pole to Pole, tackling 29,000km in the process, and driving through 14 countries in a Nissan that, big wheels apart, was totally standard. The same battery and the same electric motors that you can wander down to your local Nissan dealership today and buy for yourself.
How long did it take?
Ten months, and that's after six years of very careful planning. As Julie Ramsey told CompleteCar, those massive wheels and tyres were great for the ice, but less so for range: "Yes, the battery range was impacted”, says Julie. "That was a given. But the car always worked, which was my main concern - that the car would just freeze to a point where it would be non responsive, it would just be a dead weight in the middle of nowhere. But the car worked every time, and it really surprised us, and I think our support team, just how well the car actually coped in those harshest environments.”
As well as the big wheels, a roof-mounted tent didn't help with range, cutting the Ariya's range from around 500km in its normal form to around 250km for the Ramseys.
That must have made the going a bit tough…
Yes, but as Julie told us, there's a big advantage to electricity… "The way I see it is, if there's a building that can power a light bulb, it can power your car”, said Julie. "Yes, it just takes a little bit longer. But then that's where you take the opportunity to connect with the local people and speak to them, spend time with them, check out the local towns and cities wherever you are, and just use that to your advantage, because it's an adventure, after all, and what's an adventure without experiencing local culture, meeting the local people? So yeah, that's our philosophy and our mindset when we come to do these kind of extreme adventures.”
Ireland must seem a bit small by comparison
Probably, but that doesn't seem to be denting the Ramseys' enthusiasm. "As EV Adventurers we were hugely inspired by Antarctic explorers like Sir Ernest Shackleton who was born in Kilkea in county Kildare. We followed in his footsteps, and we're excited to visit the Shackleton Experience in Athy to learn more about him as part of our 1,000-kilometre EV trip around Ireland,” said Chris. "We're looking forward to promoting EV mobility at Nissan dealerships along the way and to debunking many of the myths surrounding electric driving having proven through our own expeditions that EVs are reliable, resilient, and suitable for every type of weather and terrain imaginable.”
Indeed, that's the whole point of the Ramseys' driving adventures. "This lovely family who was at CarFest in the UK the year before and saw our expedition car, came back and said, 'Guess what? We've bought a Nissan Ariya, and we've drove a lot of different cars, but we fell in love with enough scenario, and we just want to thank you for sharing your story.'” said Julie. "So that's a direct impact on someone's decision making, on switching to EV. And so yeah, we were very moved and very happy. It's hard to measure, because not everybody gets in contact with us to say, 'Oh, we've bought an EV because of you,' but we'd like to hope that, indirectly, we've inspired a lot of people to consider it, and hopefully these exciting and bold stories just brings it to their attention, maybe some of the concerns they had we can help alleviate or say it's actually okay; if we can do something this extreme, then surely it's more capable for your everyday needs.”
Where can I meet the Ramseys?
The adventurous couple - and their Nissan Ariya - will be touring Nissan dealerships in Dublin, Kildare, Galway, Sligo and Donegal over the next couple of weeks, so contact your Nissan dealer for more details.