Chris Ramsey faces challenges as first person to attempt Mongol Rally in electric car
"Our entry is to demonstrate to people that electric vehicles, which for me are the future of mobility, have the technology to complete such a challenge today," Ramsey said in an interview with EFE during his stop in Astana.
After starting the rally in London on July 16 and traveling all the way to the Kazakh capital, which is hosting Expo 2017 with the theme "Future Energy," the adventurer claimed that the real difficulties only started after he left Europe in his Nissan Leaf.
"One of my challenges on this trip, being the first person to travel on the Mongol Rally in an electric vehicle, is finding places to charge. In Europe, we have a vast charging infrastructure, but in Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan they have very few charging points, so we have to rely on the kindness and hospitality of the people to allow us to plug in at their homes, businesses or restaurants," the Scotsman said.
Since entering Kazakhstan, however, Ramsey found life easier, thanks to partnerships he built prior to the rally, including one with Kazakh state-owned oil and gas company KazMunayGas and national postal service KazPost.
"We have charging partners in Kazakhstan, KazMunayGas is one of them. We've stopped at a number of their service stations and they've installed electric vehicle charging points for us. We also have KazPost as a partner, so when we stay overnight in some of the towns and villages, we use their sites to charge through a regular 220-volt socket. They've made it a lot easier for us to pass through Kazakhstan," the adventurer said.
Ramsey is passionate about electric cars, started Plug In Adventures in 2011 and has promoted this form of transportation ever since.
Before undertaking the Mongol Rally, he traveled from his hometown of Aberdeen to the UK's three capitals, covering nearly 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) in four days in 2012, and he drove from Edinburgh to Monte Carlo and back again in 2016.
"With Plug In Adventures, it's important that the public can look at what I do and be inspired by it. It's changing their perception in a way that inspires them," the Scotsman said.
Ramsey said he passionately believes that electric cars are not just the future but also the present, a view based on environmental and economic reasons.
"Electric vehicles have an initial higher price than the equivalent petrol car, but less running costs," Ramsey said, adding that he saved the almost $1,000 he would spend every two years servicing his conventional car.
"Electricity is a lot cheaper than fuel in most countries. From London to Astana, I've spent 85 euros," the Scot said, citing another advantage of plug-in electric vehicles.
The electric car's disadvantage used to be range, but now "Nissan is launching a 400-km range car and Tesla cars can reach 500 km," Ramsey said.
The adventurer reflected on his post-rally plans for electric vehicles.
"The Mongol Rally is a test bed for the 80 Day Race, which is a zero-emissions race around the world in 80 days that I'll be looking to enter," Ramsey said.
After the interview, the Scotsman enjoyed his visit to Astana and Expo 2017, where his car was showcased and charged at the British Pavilion.
"This is not only for me to have an amazing adventure and experience the beauty that Kazakhstan has to offer, but it's also me proving that with the charging infrastructure and our abilities, it's possible to cross this part of the world," Ramsey said.
Expo 2017 Astana, an international reflection on the importance of progressing toward a world power system based increasingly more on renewable energy, runs until Sept. 10 in this central Asian country.