An EV Adventurer Is Driving The Mongol Rally In A Nissan Leaf

Of all the vehicles with which you could tackle the 10,000-mile Mongol Rally, a Nissan Leaf probably wouldn't be high on the list, but that's not stopping one Scottish enthusiast
An EV Adventurer Is Driving The Mongol Rally In A Nissan Leaf

A company set up to promote electric vehicles is taking on the awesome Mongol Rally… in a Nissan Leaf.

Plug In Adventures, based in Aberdeen, has had a Leaf modified to cope with the unsurfaced roads of Mongolia, with sights set not just on being the first EV entrants to the 10,000-mile rally, but being the first people to actually complete it in an electric car.

An EV Adventurer Is Driving The Mongol Rally In A Nissan Leaf

The Leaf AT-EV comes courtesy of modifications by RML Group, a British automotive engineering firm. The most important changes are a slight lift in ride height, stronger wheels and dual-purpose tyres, braided steel brake lines and welded protective plates underneath all the vulnerable parts of the suspension and chassis.

The back seats have been ripped out for a 32kg saving, some of which has then been lost to a fire extinguisher and medical kit. Also quite handy is a Lazer Triple-R 16-LED light bar on the roof, which provides an extra 16,400 lumens of low-voltage light, to give the Leaf AT-EV some proper visibility when driving at night.

An EV Adventurer Is Driving The Mongol Rally In A Nissan Leaf

As for charging, the man behind Plug In Adventures, Chris Ramsey, says that he’ll have to rely on 240v sockets as he goes further East, but isn’t aiming to record a fast time anyway. Instead, he’ll be stopping in built-up areas along the route to talk to people about the benefits of electric power. That’s probably a bit ambitious given that in many parts of central Asia the technological standard isn’t quite EV-ready, but at least he’s having a go. He said:

“The Mongol Rally is our most challenging electric vehicle drive to date, but it’s one we’ve been planning for a number of years. Not only will we face a dwindling number of EV chargers the further east we go, the terrain also becomes more difficult to navigate.

“As it will also accept a 240v Commando connection even in the remote areas when my fast-charge options are gone, I can still charge the battery and keep moving. This journey is about the travel experience though, not reaching the destination in a fast time.”

An EV Adventurer Is Driving The Mongol Rally In A Nissan Leaf

Gareth Dunsmore, director of Electric Vehicles, Nissan Europe, is backing the adventure, saying:

“Few Nissan LEAF owners have been more vocal or accomplished as Plug In Adventures at demonstrating that electric vehicles can do so much more than the daily commute. We applaud this ambitious driving challenge and wish them a safe and enjoyable journey.”

Comments

Anonymous

He shouldn’t LEAF the competition anytime soon…

04/26/2017 - 09:08 |
106 | 6
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Get out. 😂

04/26/2017 - 20:14 |
4 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

A* for banta

04/27/2017 - 20:30 |
2 | 0
Noah Thorley Images

I wouldn’t want to have an electical fault while going through a big puddle

04/26/2017 - 09:14 |
48 | 0
Anonymous

The LEAF is definitely gonna get BLOWN away by the competition

04/26/2017 - 09:16 |
8 | 0
Sean C

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

If you read into the rally. It is NOT a race. Simply about finishing in a car totally unsuitable for the job

04/26/2017 - 15:34 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

He is gonna LEAF the opponents into ELECTRIC DUST.

04/26/2017 - 09:28 |
0 | 4
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

If its lucky

04/26/2017 - 09:59 |
0 | 4
5:19.55

You better not make the R37 electric nissan… 😠

04/26/2017 - 09:39 |
2 | 0

There is not even an R36 yet!

04/26/2017 - 11:58 |
0 | 0
Bryan from Philly

What’s next? Prius race car? Oh wait…

04/26/2017 - 10:45 |
84 | 2

meanwhile at the New York autoshow

04/26/2017 - 12:36 |
46 | 2
Connor Watts

That should only take about a year to complete

04/26/2017 - 11:12 |
8 | 0
JOSHUUAAAA

If you work it out correctly to the manufacturer specs it has like a 155 mile range and full charge is 7 hours , so 448 hours of charging is needed for it to do like 10,000 miles and that’s being generous lol to put it into perspective 730 hours in a month it’s gonna take them a long time atleast they get 2 weeks of sitting around waiting for it to charge

04/26/2017 - 12:48 |
16 | 0
Anonymous

If I remember right, Mongol rally cars had to be under a very paltry sum, so they can stay affordable. This Leaf alone is probably more expensive than half it’s competitors together. Not to mention it’s not exactly prime candidate since 8 hour charging times are a huge deal when cheap junk cars are nicely chugging along…

04/26/2017 - 12:50 |
8 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The rule is a 1ltr engine or less and to cost £500 or less - unless it’s in some ridiculous! I think the leaf is a perfectly stupid vehicle for the rally! Part of driving such ridiculous vehicles is that they will break down and make you find ingenious (or stupid) ways to fix your problem and interact with the locals around you. This guy is a hero for just trying, and I think in the spirt of the rally, he will make it to the finish line under EV drive or being towed by a fellow rallier! Big publicity like this should also raise a load for charity too!

04/26/2017 - 20:48 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

Leaf it out!

04/26/2017 - 13:25 |
0 | 0

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