Nissan announced a partnership with Pole to Pole founder and adventurer, Chris Ramsey, to drive a custom-built Ariya from the Magnetic North Pole down to the South Pole. The nearly 17,000-mile trip will be made by Ramsey and a team behind the wheel of a Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE – the first vehicle to complete such a drive if successful.
Nissan Motor Corporation ($NSANY) has been in business since the 1930s in Japan and is recognized as one of the early promoters of electric vehicles with its Nissan LEAF, which debuted in 2010.
Despite the LEAF’s reign as one of the longest-running electric models in the US, it sits as Nissan’s lone BEV offering for sale, at least until the Ariya deliveries begin this fall. The Ariya will feature Nissan’s e-4ORCE technology that utilizes all-wheel control throughout the vehicle.
We got our first glimpse of the e-4ORCE in a lunar rover design alongside the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). At the time, Nissan described how this technology works:
e-4ORCE is Nissan’s most advanced all-wheel control technology that accurately manages power output and braking performance for smoothness and stability. The system enhances driver confidence by tracing the intended driving line over almost any road surface, including wet and snowy roads, without the need for changes in driving style or input.
With today’s announcement, Nissan is planning a trip with a custom Ariya equipped with e-4ORCE technology that will venture from the Arctic North Pole through North and South America to Antarctica. To do so, Nissan has partnered with British EV adventure seeker, Chris Ramsey.
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Rendering of the Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE / Source: Nissan -
Chris Ramsey next to a current Ariya
Nissan announces Pole to Pole Ariya trip for 2023
Nissan Motor Corporation shared the news of the partnership with Chris Ramsey via a press release today, sharing some renderings of the custom Ariya e-4ORCE he and his team will be driving, along with some details of the route.
Ramsey is an all-electric adventurer, Guinness World Record holder, and founder of Pole to Pole – the planned expedition to travel from the North Pole through 14 different countries across approximately 27,000 km (or approximately 17,000 miles). He previously drove his own Nissan LEAF over 10,000 miles from the UK to Siberia in the Mongol Rally – the first person to complete the trip in an EV. Ramsey commented:
Our mission is to show that electric vehicles can tackle the harshest of environments – from the bitter cold of the poles to the hot and humid jungles of South America, and illustrate that they are exhilarating to drive whilst meeting the daily demands of drivers around the world. It’s fantastic to see such an important and innovative global brand partner with our expedition.
As Ramsey points out, he and his team will encounter some of the world’s most extreme yet beautiful environments, including snow-covered glacial landscapes at temperatures of -30C (-22F), mountain climbs, hot sticky jungles, and desert dunes.
In anticipation of the harsh freezing conditions of the Arctic and Antarctic, the Pole to Pole trip will be undertaken by a modified Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE that will include a custom bolstered exterior to handle the extreme terrain as well as upgraded wheels, tires, and suspension. A second unmodified Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE will also be present as a support vehicle during the trip through the Americas.
Ramsey and Nissan’s Pole to Pole trip is scheduled to begin in March 2023. If successful, Nissan pointed out that Ramsey will be the first person to have driven from pole to pole in not only an EV but in any type of vehicle. We will be sure to follow Ramsey and his team as they venture through North American and beyond.
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