Nissan Ariya EV Becomes First Car To Travel Pole-To-Pole

A specially prepared Nissan Ariya EV crossover driven by husband and wife adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey have become the first drive a car from the North Pole to the South Pole.

A specially prepared Nissan Ariya electric vehicle (EV) driven by a husband-and-wife adventure team has entered the history books as the first car – and first EV – to complete a drive from the North Pole to the South Pole.

The Japanese automaker confirmed this feat through an official press announcement issued earlier this week. The effort was spearheaded by Chris and Julie Ramsey, and the couple’s journey took roughly 10 months to complete and cover over 30,000 KM in distance.

The couple's Ariya featured modified suspension and massive off-road tyres, plus several unnamed modifications to allow survival in sub-zero temperatures.

The Ariya EV used by the couple was specially prepared by renowned adventure vehicle builders Artic Trucks from Iceland. Whilst the powertrain remained stock, images issued by Nissan does show it to be riding on modified suspension and massive 36-inch BF Goodrich off-road tyres.

Apart from which, the Nissan Ariya used by the Ramseys saw other unnamed modifications performed that allowed it to withstand prolonged duration in sub-zero temperature condition. Included too was a roof rack.

Planning for this trip, according to Chris Ramsey, took several years and stretches all the way back to 2017. In fact, both Chris and his wife Julie had initially planned to perform this trip using a Nissan Leaf instead.

It's unclear how the couple managed with charging their EV on this expedition which lasted 10 months and covered over 30,000 KM.

The couple began their journey from the frozen Artic Sea before traversing through North, Central and South America. They eventually concluded their drive in Antartica. Whilst the couple didn’t divulge on the challenges of charging their EV, we’re certain this was a constant difficulty to overcome.

As a refresher, the Nissan Ariya is an EV crossover primed with either a 65 kWh or 90 kWh battery pack. Both single- and dual-motor setups are available, outputting anywhere 215 HP and 300 NM in its lowest guise, and up to 389 HP and 600 NM in its highest performing guise.

Stock Nissan Ariya pictured. Said EV by Nissan is available with either 65 kWh or 90 kWh battery size choices, as well as single- and dual-motor options.

As for range, it varies between 360 KM and 500 KM for the single-motored variants, whilst dual-motored variants deliver between 340 KM and 400 KM instead – all figures are based on WLTP test cycles.

“I’ve always had full confidence in the amazing capabilities of electric vehicles, and I knew our Nissan Ariya would tackle everything thrown at it,” said Chris. ”This has been an incredible journey, with the people we’ve met, the friends we’ve made and the support we’ve received,” adds Julie.