A Nissan Leaf takes on the Mongol Rally
So that’s 10,000 miles across hostile terrain for the electric car
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Everyone knows the Mongol Rally is a car killer. It’s the sort of event where Mad Max meets the Paris Dakar. And Chris Ramsey and his wife are going to do the event this year in an all-electric almost standard Nissan Leaf. He is carrying a spare tyre.
This looks like one of those ‘plucky mad Brits’ stories with which history is littered, and you do have to wonder just how easy it will be to find a high-speed electric charger in Kazakhstan or Siberia. Yet the Ramseys are sanguine. They have done some grueling long-distance preparation drives already – they’ve driven from John O’Groats to Land’s End and from Edinburgh to Monaco.
The 10,000 miles ahead of them in the Mongol Rally may be a trifle harder. There’s no set route, so teams have to plot their course to Mongolia, and at least that gives them a chance to go via population centres where there are more likely to be recharging points, or simply a plug in someone’s house.
Their route goes from Goodwood to Belgium, on to Vienna and Istanbul, then to Baku and a ferry to Kazakhstan, then on to Siberia and Mongolia. It must be said the first part of the journey sounds a bit easier than the second.
The car really is an all but standard Nissan Leaf with a wrap. The changes include raised suspension with sump guards and metal plates underneath to protect the braided brake lines and other parts from rocks and debris. Up top there’s a roof rack with an LED light bar, which should make it possible to drive at night if necessary.
Inside the rear seats have gone to make way for storage. They’re going to be in this vehicle for about ten weeks – that’s quite a challenge in itself. But this is a route that can literally dismantle really quite tough cars, so what are the Ramseys’ preparations like?
Basically they’re banking on an electric car having less to go wrong, and if it does they will throw themselves on the kindness of strangers. It’s certainly a plan. They don’t know what the Russian is for ‘electricity’ but they have various adapters for the countries they go through and hope simply showing this will make it obvious what they’re hoping to get.
At the moment, they’re on their way on this epic journey. We wish them all the very best, and if you want to follow their progress you can watch here.
Graham Scott is a writer for PistonHeads.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments