Move over, Robert Peary — we have a new polar explorer here in the form of the all-new, all-electric Nissan Ariya crossover!
Nissan recently announced that a modified Nissan Ariya electric crossover will embark on a 16,777-mile journey from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole. This ambitious trip, which is expected to last 10 months and kick off in March, is designed to demonstrate the capabilities of EVs.
The Ariya will be driven by the husband-and-wife team of Chris and Julie Ramsey, who have previously completed the 10,563-mile Mongol Rally in a Nissan Leaf. The couple aim to keep modifications to the Ariya to a minimum, only making changes such as installing 39-inch BF Goodrich tires and making changes to the suspension and wheel arches. This is to showcase the capabilities of the basic EV without any major modifications.
According to Chris Ramsey, “One of the things that underpins all the adventures we do is that we take a standard production EV and aim to make minimal changes to clearly demonstrate its real, everyday capabilities, regardless of where you are driving it.”
One modification they made, although not related to capability, was the addition of a built-in espresso machine because Chris is a hardcore coffee lover.
Meanwhile, the Ariya’s roof box will also include a drone launchpad, and the crossover will tow a trailer with portable solar panels and wind turbines, which will provide energy to charge the Ariya when it’s stopped.
This specially modified Ariya boasts the e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive system, which uses dual motors and torque vectoring technology. In the U.S., the peak output is 389 hp, compared to 214 hp for the single-motor, front-wheel-drive Ariya.
Nissan began sales of the front-wheel-drive Ariya in the States last fall, but the all-wheel-drive models aren’t expected to be available until later this year.
Nissan Ariya Image Gallery
SOURCE | IMAGES: MOTORAUTHORITY
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