Liz Allan [00:00:01]
Right. Okay. I can't even tell you how excited I am to have this couple on the podcast today. I have got Chris and Julie Ramsey, and I don't even know how to introduce them. I've just said they are the most inspirational couple and inspirational adventurers who might be slightly mental because of what they did. But Chris and Julie, we're going to talk about Pole to Pole and all of the adventures that you've actually done in an electric vehicle. So, thank you so much for joining me today.
Julie Ramsey [00:00:38]
Thank you for having us, Liz. You're just as inspirational as well with all the work that you're doing for the community.
Liz Allan [00:00:46]
Bless you.
Julie Ramsey [00:00:46]
You are.
Liz Allan [00:00:47]
Yeah, but I haven't driven thousands of miles across sheet ice. So, slightly different, you know, being in a little cul-de-sac in Caversham, just outside Reading. It's slightly different to what you did. Let's start. I met Chris and Julie when you were in Harrogate last week at Car Fest, which was amazing. Both of you were there. Never got to meet Sonrisa, and I'm a bit gutted about that. We'll talk about Sonrisa as well. But it was just brilliant.
Liz Allan [00:01:25]
And I was stuffing my face at the time, so that was very attractive. My apologies for that one.
Julie Ramsey [00:01:33]
We've all been there. We know that.
Liz Allan [00:01:35]
Oh my god. Absolutely. Let's start. So, for those of you that don't know Chris and Julie, these two are adventurers. And Julie, I was going to get both of you to reflect on what you were doing before you started doing this. What were your first memories of when you were younger that made you want to be adventurers? Was it when you two got together, or were you both thinking the same way? What inspired you to do all these wonderful things?
Julie Ramsey [00:02:29]
You go first, Chris.
Chris Ramsey [00:02:30]
No, you go ahead, Julie.
Julie Ramsey [00:02:32]
I think, honestly, we've always had a love of travel and adventure. When we were younger, we took a year out and backpacked across Australia. We loved it so much; we extended it by another six months. We travelled through Asia, America, Hawaii, and places like that. That really started our love of travel. Then the electric car adventuring, Chris's curiosity at the time about EVs and what they could do, how far they could go, sparked that passion. About a decade ago, Chris, you discovered the EV first and demonstrated just how cool it was. And 10 years later, here we are.
Liz Allan [00:03:43]
Is it 10 years?
Julie Ramsey [00:03:45]
Yes, about a decade.
Chris Ramsey [00:03:47]
Yeah, 2014 was when we bought our first Nissan LEAF, which we still have today. But I'll add to that because, in my childhood, there wasn't anything specific that sparked this adventure bug. I was just the usual kid, playing in trees, camping, but I never really travelled the world or went on major holidays, and I didn’t even hold a driving license until I met Julie.
Liz Allan [00:04:22]
Did you not? Oh, bless you.
Chris Ramsey [00:04:24]
Interesting fact: I passed my driving test at 29. Then I went traveling with Julie around the world, which sparked my passion for travel.
Julie Ramsey [00:04:47]
I remember those days, Chris. I used to chauffeur you around.
Chris Ramsey [00:04:53]
Yeah. And then I discovered the Nissan LEAF just out of curiosity and went on a road trip with a friend. Loved the tech, switched out my car to a Nissan LEAF, and within months, we were fighting over it on the driveway. So, we got rid of our combustion car, and we've been a pure EV household since mid-2014.
Liz Allan [00:05:19]
What range were you looking at then? It wasn't very big, was it?
Chris Ramsey [00:05:24]
65 miles. I was driving to events down south and doing meetups with people in that car. And famously, Jonathan Porterfield, my co-driver, and I met on that first road trip. We’ve been friends ever since.
Julie Ramsey [00:05:43]
And you met Robert Llewellyn on your very first trip too.
Chris Ramsey [00:05:45]
Yes, Robert Llewellyn. We got a message from him saying, "Hey, you guys are bonkers. Would you like to meet up?" We were like, "What?" So, we met up with him, and it was amazing. And from then on, Jonathan and I decided to do John o' Groats to Land's End in a 24-kilowatt-hour LEAF. We drove 1600 miles in just over 50 hours, stopping every 60 miles to charge.
Liz Allan [00:06:27]
Before all of this, what were you both doing?
Julie Ramsey [00:07:16]
We both had day jobs in Aberdeen, Scotland. Aberdeen is the oil and gas capital of Europe. I worked in the commercial department of an oil and gas firm for over a decade, and Chris worked in a manufacturing plant for many years.
Liz Allan [00:08:00]
Is that where you met?
Chris Ramsey [00:08:02]
Not quite. We met earlier while working in a computer store as salespeople. We always joke that our eyes met over an ink cartridge. That was 24 years ago.
Julie Ramsey [00:08:31]
Yes, more than 24 years now.
Liz Allan [00:08:35]
Young sweethearts?
Chris Ramsey [00:08:36]
I would say so.
Julie Ramsey [00:08:40]
We're definitely older now!
Liz Allan [00:08:44]
Let's talk about the Mongol Rally. You've got your first road trip, then John o' Groats to Land's End. But the Mongol Rally? Tell me about it.
Chris Ramsey [00:10:08]
That was in 2017 when I left the oil and gas industry. The Mongol Rally is based on three principles: the car must have an engine no larger than 1 litre, it has to be cheap, and it must be completely unsuitable. You drive from London to Mongolia, actually, to Southern Siberia. We did it in a 30-kilowatt-hour Nissan LEAF, and the organisers said it was the most unsuitable car that had ever entered. Everyone bet we wouldn’t finish.
Julie Ramsey [00:11:18]
We realistically had a range of about 90 miles and drove 10,000 miles in 56 days. From Turkey to Russia, there was no public charging infrastructure whatsoever.
Julie Ramsey [00:12:32]
People doubted us. At Goodwood, where we set off, there were about 250 cars, but we were the only EV. We created a small crowd around us, and everyone was curious. They couldn’t believe we were taking an EV to Mongolia.
Chris Ramsey [00:13:42]
We relied on the kindness of strangers. We charged at cafes, petrol stations, and even in a Turkish barber’s shed! We also met with various organisations, including the CEO of the state petrol company in Kazakhstan, to talk about charging infrastructure. Now, there are chargers all along our route.
Liz Allan [00:14:28]
How did you get the word out about your journey?
Chris Ramsey [00:14:28]
A friend connected us with the Kazakhstan government, and when people heard we were coming, we were invited to speak at events like the World Future Energy Summit.
Julie Ramsey [00:16:41]
That experience sparked the idea for the Pole-to-Pole expedition. We wanted to leave a legacy, build infrastructure, and help future EV drivers follow our route.
Liz Allan [00:17:17]
Pole to Pole must have been a mammoth task. How long did it take?
Chris Ramsey [00:17:17]
Six years in the making, including delays due to COVID. Planning included mapping, logistics, securing partners, and working with experts like Arctic Trucks, who had never modified an EV before.
Julie Ramsey [00:18:06]
We needed partners who shared our vision, like Nissan and Arctic Trucks. We needed people who were willing to take risks and see the potential of EVs in extreme conditions.
Chris Ramsey [00:19:03]
It was the first time anyone had attempted this, so there was no blueprint to follow. We set the groundwork for others to take up this challenge in the future.
Liz Allan [00:21:14]
Let’s talk about Sonrisa. Why did you choose her, and what modifications were made?
Chris Ramsey [00:22:23]
We chose the Nissan Ariya for its reliability. With modifications like 39-inch Goodyear tyres, a skid plate, and recovery points, it was ready for the Arctic. The rest of the car was stock, straight from the showroom.
Julie Ramsey [00:24:24]
I was concerned about the electronics in extreme cold, but the car performed brilliantly, even at minus 39 degrees. It’s a testament to Nissan's build quality.
Liz Allan [00:28:13]
How did you manage being together all the time during the expedition?
Julie Ramsey [00:29:17]
We had our moments, but we always supported each other. We focused on the mission and kept moving forward.
Chris Ramsey [00:30:38]
Adventures bring us closer. Even when it's tough, we remember our purpose and keep going.
Liz Allan [00:34:12]
What were the most challenging and best parts of the journey?
Julie Ramsey [00:35:18]
The best was connecting with people. We experienced so much kindness along the way.
Chris Ramsey [00:36:42]
The Arctic was a huge challenge, especially with the ice road melting. It was exhausting, but we persevered.
Liz Allan [00:40:08]
What’s next? Is there a possibility for a documentary?
Julie Ramsey [00:40:09]
We’d love to do a documentary. We have a lot of footage and are working on it. We're also writing a book to share more of our experiences.
Chris Ramsey [00:41:29]
We’re planning future adventures and continuing to build EV infrastructure.
Liz Allan [00:44:12]
Thank you both for sharing your story. Keep inspiring us all. Stay safe!
Chris Ramsey [00:44:51]
Thank you, Liz, for having us. And to everyone listening, remember, it’s not the technology that’s the barrier, it’s our mindset.
Julie Ramsey [00:45:35]
Thank you. Bye.