Cold zap! An electric Nissan Kiwis are keen to see has become the first car to go from pole-to-pole.

STILL to reach New Zealand showrooms - with likelihood but no absolute certainty that 2024 will be the year, even though demo examples have toured - Nissan’s next mainstream electric car can least lay claim to having gone to global extremes.

Extreme cold having tendency to sap battery-reliant vehicles has not inhibited the medium-sized Ariya five-seater from achieving  an impressive record that involved a lot of driving on ice, in the world’s coldest locations.

Bid to go from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole, a world first for any vehicle, has just come to successful conclusion.

The Japanese make supported a British couple’s electric adventure that clocked just on 30,000 kilometres and took, as planned, 10 months. Plus, from the photos, a change of jacket; they started off in black puffers and finished in orange ones.

Designed as a showcase of the capability of electric vehicles and to also highlight positive action against the climate crisis, the feat wrapped up at the South Pole.

United Kingdom-based husband and wife Chris and Julie Ramsey’s custom Ariya is presumably now heading to a nicely warm museum.

Even though the car underwent some obvious reworking by a specialist in polar expeditions, Arctic Trucks, Nissan has enforced the battery, powertrain and e-Force all-wheel-drive system were factory standard for a challenge that involved extreme terrains and environments.

Ice fields, deep snow and steep mountain climbs and inhospitable desert dunes were on a route that, outside of the polar zones, involved the Americas.

Aside from raised suspension and wider wheel arches necessary to accommodate the 39-inch BF Goodrich tires, the car was also reliant on achieving, through to polar zones, replenishment from a portable, renewable energy unit.

A packable, lightweight wind turbine and solar panels to harness the high winds and long daylight hours was designed to provide charge for the EV's battery during rest stops. Did it last the journey?

Nissan also used a second modified Ariya as a support vehicle and assumption was it would tow the generator, whose secondary role appears be to run a specially integrated espresso machine, with a good supply of sustainable coffee, and keep pepped a drone that can launch directly from the utility unit on the roof.

Ramsey came into the venture with electric odyssey cred. 

Prior to this, he was known for tackling a 16,000 kilometre adventure in a Nissan Leaf in 2017, a trip that took the model through 14 countries including Romania, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia. Also a Guinness-recognised feat, he trip gained global media attention, including from the BBC Top Gear programme.

He self-describes as being a passionate advocate for electric mobility, renewable energy and promoting awareness of the climate crisis.

Speaking at conclusion of the drive, he said: “After so many years of planning, it doesn’t feel real. 

“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. 

“But it’s been far tougher than I anticipated. I’m proud that Pole to Pole has reached millions of people in parts of the world and enthused them about embracing EV in their day to day lives.”

“This has been an incredible journey, with the people we’ve met, the friends we’ve made and the support we’ve received,” Julie Ramsey added. 

“Pole to Pole started out as just Chris and I, but the expedition team is now made of up of thousands of kind, forward-thinking people. These supporters and contributors want to make a difference and share the excitement of electric driving.”

Allyson Witherspoon, corporate vice president, Nissan global marketing, brand and merchandising, said, her brand admired the couple’s daring spirit and passion for pushing the boundaries of electric adventure. 

“It has been an extraordinary journey to follow and a point of pride for us at Nissan. It has shown how Nissan’s innovative technology continues to deliver excitement, whether on a trip to the office or to the Antarctic.”

The feats, particularly the trans-polar run, will also raise interest in a subject of interest for all EV owners – how well the technology works in cold weather.

It’s accepted that lower temps impact a battery’s ability to store and release energy, so although the batteries work in the cold, charging is typically slower and less efficient as the car uses some energy to keep the battery warm.

Estimates vary, but according to a study from the American Automobile Association, EVs can lose up to 40 percent of their range when the temperature drops from 20 degrees to minus seven. The range dip is attributed to a couple of things, such as natural battery capacity loss in colder temperatures as well as the increased energy needed for heating the cabin.