Plug In Adventures becomes first to complete Mongol Rally in Electric Vehicle
Scottish husband and wife team, Chris and Julie Ramsey, better known as Plug In Adventures, have completed The Mongol Rally, becoming the first to do so in an all electric vehicle (EV).
Chris and Julie left the rally start line at Goodwood Motor Circuit in the UK on Sunday 16 July and travelled 8,000 miles through 13 countries, charging their Nissan LEAF AT-EV (All-Terrain Electric Vehicle) 111 times to reach the Siberian finish line, just north of the border with Mongolia, using just £100 of electricity in the process.
Their Nissan LEAF will now join other Mongol Rally entrants’ vehicles on a cargo train back across the continent to Estonia, where Chris and Julie will continue the drive back to their hometown of Aberdeen, a further 2,500 miles. In total the pair will have clocked up more than 10,500 miles during the trip!
Says Plug In Adventures Chris Ramsey:
“There were a number of detractors who told me an electric car isn’t capable of long-distance journeys. Well after thousands of miles and almost zero problems, I can tell you that is not the case.
“This has been the absolute trip of a lifetime and I can’t believe we’re now at the finishing line. We’ve travelled through countless countries using just battery power and zero emissions. I’m elated, ecstatic, a bit exhausted, but also completely electrified!”
Throughout Europe, Chris and Julie had the use of an extensive rapid charger network which was capable of providing 80% battery charge in just 30 minutes. However, once they got into Bulgaria and beyond, they faced a dwindling number of rapid charge options and instead turned to a variety of alternatives for electric power.
These included bars, cafes, hotels, hostels, a barbershop, a post office, garages, car dealerships, a police Station, three fire stations and even a tractor showroom! They even had a trained electrician plug their LEAF directly into an electricity pylon in the middle of the woods in Siberia.
Concludes Chris Ramsey:
“We’ve been shown some of the best hospitality we could have hoped for. It’s certainly changed our perspective of how we should behave when we get home.
“One example that sticks out was when we turned up at a Nissan dealer in Russia at 2am. There was a chap waiting for us and he plugged our car in securely in the workshop, then led us into the showroom where he gave us tea, food and comfy sofas to sleep on.”
See here for more information about the Nissan Leaf which completed the Mongol Rally.
