It’s safe to say that Julie and Chris Ramsey from the Pole to Pole Expedition are currently the most ambitious electrified overland adventurers on the planet. Now, they have the Guinness World Records to prove it. Guinness World Records has awarded the couple the well-known recognition for completing the “first expedition by an electric car from the Magnetic North Pole to the South Pole” and for the “longest journey by an electric car in Antarctica”.
The Pole-to-Pole Expedition spanned nearly the entire length of 2023, as well as over 29,000 km across the breadth of three continents. Emil Grimsson from Arctic Trucks built the Ramseys’ Nissan Ariya. It was equipped with 39-inch balloon tires and extensive underbody protection but otherwise remained largely stock. They relied on public EV-charging infrastructure to power most of their journey. Where charging was scarce, they often leaned on the kindness of strangers for a few electrons, and where it was non-existent, like in Antarctica, they deployed a generator and a range of solar and wind-based solutions to keep them on the move.
In 2024. Chris Ramsey told Expedition Portal’s Ashley Giordano that the expedition was not only designed to draw attention to the effects of global climate change but also to dispel some of the more common myths about EV travel. “[One of] the biggest [myths] that we’re dispelling is the capability of the batteries and how they perform in cold and extreme heat. When we were in Nunavut, north of Cambridge Bay and close to 220 miles northeast into the Arctic Ocean, we were living at -39°C, and the car was performing quite happily. … It was a good test, but it was also a way to understand how to introduce extra heat into the battery for more range and better efficiency.”
Chris and Julie Ramsey with their Guinness World Records
Julie Ramsey says, “It was a remarkable adventure and also the most mentally and emotionally exhausting experience I have ever had in my life. Despite the incredible scenery and excitement of adventure, it was the positive experience of engaging with the people that we met and their overwhelming kindness that are my standout memories. Regardless of where we met them, it is clear that people are worried about the threat of climate change, and it is affecting their lives.”
With this remarkable accomplishment behind them (among others, including Chris’s record for riding an electric bike the greatest distance in 24 hours), the Ramseys are in the process of writing a book about their adventure and planning their next one. No doubt, it will push more boundaries as they explore the edges of what’s possible for long-term EV travel.
Follow Chris and Julie’s EV explorations via the couple’s website, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
Images: Chris and Julie Ramsey
Read more: What the Pole-to-Pole Expedition Wants You to Know About Long-Term EV Travel
Listen more: Overland Journal Podcast :: Arctic Trucks Founder Emil Grímsson on the Challenges of Polar Exploration
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