Couple who drove Nissan EV from North Pole to South Pole are on their way to Donegal

A Scottish couple who drove their Nissan Ariya electric vehicle over 29,000 kilometres from the 1823 North Pole to the South Pole are set to visit county Donegal this week to promote electromobility, to showcase their history-making car, and to debunk many of the myths surroundings EVs. 

Chris and Julie Ramsey set two new Guinness World Records when they completed their ‘Pole to Pole EV Expedition’ in 2023 after crossing 14 countries and three continents and their Irish and Donegal adventure is set to be another big tick off their bucket list. 

“As EV Adventurers we were hugely inspired by Antarctic explorers like Sir Ernest Shackleton who was born in county Kildare,” said Chris.

“We followed in his footsteps, and we’re excited to learn more about him and other famous Irish explorers as part of our 1,000-kilometre EV trip around Ireland. 

“Our Irish adventure takes in most parts of county Donegal including Donegal Town, Letterkenny with a visit to iMotors Letterkenny, and the Inishowen Peninsula. 

“We’re looking forward to promoting EV mobility 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,’ he added. 

Chris and Julie’s life as EV Adventurers began soon after discovering a Nissan LEAF electric vehicle in 2013. They made history in 2017 when they entered the 30kWh electric car into the famous ‘Mongol Rally’, taking 56 days to cover the grueling 16,000 kilometres from London to Ulan-Ude in Southern Siberia.  

They spent the next six years planning every detail of their epic ‘Pole to Pole EV Expedition’ which aimed to showcase the capabilities of electric vehicles in extreme conditions and to promote the global shift towards clean, renewable energy.  

“By this stage we’d upgraded to the Nissan Ariya EV and the remarkable thing about our epic journey is that we completed it in the standard model that anyone can find in any Nissan showroom,” said Julie.

“The only difference is that we fitted it with 39-inch tyres, hitch points and a protection plate on the underside of the car to help it navigate snow and ice. Everything else about the car is the same.”

Starting in the 1823 Magnetic North Pole the couple faced daunting challenges as they made their way across frozen terrains, navigating icy roads and unpredictable weather conditions. Their journey took them through some of the world’s most remote and harsh environments, including the vast expanses of the Arctic Ocean in Canada and the Patagonian deserts of South America. 

Chris and Julie are the first to complete the Pole-to-Pole distance in a car – let alone an electric vehicle. They were duly awarded Guinness World Record Certificates for completing the ‘First expedition by an electric car from Magnetic North Pole to South Pole’ and for ‘The longest journey by an electric car in Antarctica’. 

The pioneering couple are bringing the Nissan Ariya expedition EV to the NEVO Electric Vehicle Show at the RDS in Dublin this Friday and Saturday.

They will visit iMotors in Drumkeen on Thursday, November 13.