logo
  • Explore
    • Local Events
    • Local News
    • Local Organisations
  • News
    • Community
    • Local Government
    • Sports
    • Alberta Politics
    • Opinion
    • Deke
  • Peaks & Valleys
    • Wildlife
    • Snow Sports
    • Hiking and Climbing
    • Biking
    • Fishing
  • Culture
    • Jasper Arts & Culture
    • Local Dining
    • Local Literature
  • Jasper History
    • Explore
      • Local Events
      • Local News
      • Local Organisations
    • News
      • Community
      • Local Government
      • Sports
      • Alberta Politics
      • Opinion
      • Deke
    • Peaks & Valleys
      • Wildlife
      • Snow Sports
      • Hiking and Climbing
      • Biking
      • Fishing
    • Culture
      • Jasper Arts & Culture
      • Local Dining
      • Local Literature
    • Jasper History
Charged up for adventure: Eco-expedition gets a boost in Jasper
Eco-adventurers Julie and Chris Ramsey were in Jasper National Park to help showcase the capabilities of electric vehicles. They recently drove through Jasper after visiting the magnetic north pole. // Bob Covey
Community, Environment, News
By Bob Covey
Friday, April 28, 2023
Charged up for adventure: Eco-expedition gets a boost in Jasper

On April 25, Chris and Julie Ramsey’s Nissan crossover was plugged into the electric vehicle charging station on Connaught Drive.

Their car, a 2022 Nissan Ariya, stands out: besides the BF Goodrich 39-inch fat tires and the Iridium “sat-comms” dome atop their roof, stickered on the rig’s copper sidepanels are the words “POLE TO POLE ELECTRIC VEHICLE EXPEDITION.”

As a UNESCO Heritage site, and at the intersection of the world-famous Icefields Parkway and the TransCanada Yellowhead highway, Jasper sees plenty of unique rides roll through town.

Chris and Julie Ramsey are vying to become the first people to drive an electric car from the magnetic north pole to the south pole. // Supplied

Many of those vehicles are expedition-worthy; increasingly-more are electricity-powered. Rare is the automobile that is both. And, until Tuesday, no driver that came through Jasper could say they had come by way of the planet’s magnetic north pole, and that they had just driven to the top of the globe without an internal combustion engine (although their support team did).

That claim is Aberdeen, Scotland’s Chris and Julie Ramsey’s. And theirs alone.

“This is the toughest thing we’ve done,” Chris Ramsey said, recalling a terrifying day of driving their EV over thawing arctic sea ice, northeast of Nunavut’s Cambridge Bay. “Unfortunately, we’ve had zero time to soak anything in.”

Such is the life of a cross-country, all-terrain, marathon driving team—although the couple is quick to point out the Pole to Pole EV Expedition is not a race. Instead, they say their epic journey is one of discovery, learning and hope—an opportunity to show the potential of EVs while inspiring people wanting to take climate change action.

“The aim is to demonstrate the capability of EVs to the wider public,” Chris said.

They’ve got their work cut out for them in Alberta. Although EV charging infrastructure is expanding, the Yellowhead highway has been called a “wasteland for EVs,” and the province is still far behind neighbouring British Columbia, in terms of rolling out fast-charging infrastructure. Compared to the UK, where the Ramseys come from, the country on a whole has a lot of catching up to do.


Advertising inquires: andrea@ravencommunitymedia.com


 

“I naively assumed Canada would be ahead of the EV game,” Julie said. “I was taken aback by the lack of chargers from Yellowknife to Edmonton, in particular.”

They were also taken aback by Canada in other, more positive ways. Seeing a polar bear in the wild was one such instance. But another was when their car was almost out of juice in High Level, Alberta, where the EV chargers were unfortunately down, and the townsfolk rallied to save the Ramseys’ day, eventually plugging the vehicle in through an adapted dryer socket, at the back of a Canadian Tire.

“It was that small town friendliness you hear about,” Julie said.

Sometimes clichés are true. Other times, however, a myth needs busting. In imagining the Pole to Pole Expedition, the Ramseys wanted to discredit common misconceptions about EVs—the most typical ones being that EVs don’t have enough range, and that they don’t work in the cold. Face still red with arctic wind burn, Chris rebuts those fallacies.

“EVs are capable, they’re reliable and they can go for long distances, although it’s certainly more challenging in minus-39 degree Celsius temperatures,” he said.

The proof is in the pictures: images of their EV crawling over snow-covered pressure ridges on arctic sea ice; parked under aurora borealis at the Arctic Circle; and pulling up to the place where scientists have determined where the earth’s magnetic north pole would have been in 1823—a place which has, until now, only been accessed by human, canine or fossil fuelled-power. Like they did in 2017 when they finished the 10,000 mile Mongol Rally in a Nissen LEAF, the Ramseys are shattering EV preconceptions.



“We’re demonstrating that EVs are not what people think they are,” Chris said. “Make no mistake, this is a proper adventure.”

How else would you describe plodding along over roadless tundra for eight days? Or driving over a massive, frozen but thawing lake, hoping the ice is thick enough that your car doesn’t break through? Or keeping the heat off inside the car in sub-zero temperatures to eek out every drop of range of the car?

“We are pushing the car and ourselves to the limit,” they said.

To the couple’s delight, they haven’t had to literally push the car—they’ve had no breakdowns, save for a sheared steering rack when they bottomed out on a sharp rock (“you can blame the driver,” Chris joked). That strong track record bodes well for navigating whatever dirt, mud, snow or otherwise hazard-covered roads that North and South America—not to mention Antarctica—are going to throw at them.

Destination: South pole // Bob Covey

Follow the Pole to Pole EV Expedition on Instagram and Twitter as they set their sights on phase two of their mission: to become the first people to drive an EV to the south pole. They also graciously accept donations.

Articles You May LIke ›
EV drivers boosting Yellowhead’s Fast Charging potential
Business
EV drivers boosting Yellowhead’s Fast Charging potential
Bob Covey 
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Electric Vehicle drivers are banging the drum for more high speed charging stations in Jasper. Bert Hogendoorn, from Sechelt, B.C., says that the Yell...
this is a test
Most Read ›
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
News
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 5, 2023
Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr has declined a private offer to rebuild a washed-out bridge at Simon Creek, a structure which would allo...
this is a test
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Local Government
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Bob Covey 
Monday, May 15, 2023
West Yellowhead’s NDP candidate Fred Kreiner has elected not to participate in Jasper’s scheduled all-candidates forum. “I’ve decided and the NDP part...
this is a test
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Community
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Bob Covey 
Monday, April 24, 2023
A helicopter transporting Natural Resources Canada glacier surveyors had a hard landing on an icefield in Banff National Park April 14. The accident l...
this is a test
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Opinion
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Re: Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper's superintendent (May 5, 2023) Dear Editor, This is an excellent article in The Jasper Local. I am...
this is a test
Latest ›
Letter: Maintaining the Athabasca Pass Heritage Trail
Opinion
Letter: Maintaining the Athabasca Pass Heritage Trail
Thursday, May 18, 2023
re: Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent (May 5, 2023)  Dear Editor, The Athabasca Pass Heritage Trail is a Canadian icon ...
this is a test
Store manager leaving a legacy of customer care
Store manager leaving a legacy of customer care
Bob Covey 
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Rick Lagace has stocked his last shelf. The store manager at TGP Your Jasper Grocer is retiring. Over hotdogs and pop in the TGP parking lot, Lagace s...
this is a test
Forty and fabulous: Mountain Air an OG of Jasper retail
Business
Forty and fabulous: Mountain Air an OG of Jasper retail
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Mountain Air stands as one of Jasper’s most unique, well-established shopping locations. Having celebrated the store’s 40th anniversary recently, the ...
this is a test
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Local Government
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Bob Covey 
Monday, May 15, 2023
West Yellowhead’s NDP candidate Fred Kreiner has elected not to participate in Jasper’s scheduled all-candidates forum. “I’ve decided and the NDP part...
this is a test

NEXT ARTICLE

Animals on the move: migrants and vagrants in the world of wildlife

Environment, Generic, News, Peaks & Valleys, Wildlife

Most Read ›
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
News
Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper’s superintendent
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 5, 2023
Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr has declined a private offer to rebuild a washed-out bridge at Simon Creek, a structure which would allo...
this is a test
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Local Government
NDP’s Kreiner withdraws from all-candidates forum
Bob Covey 
Monday, May 15, 2023
West Yellowhead’s NDP candidate Fred Kreiner has elected not to participate in Jasper’s scheduled all-candidates forum. “I’ve decided and the NDP part...
this is a test
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Community
Helicopter sustains “incredible” damage after accident on Columbia Icefields
Bob Covey 
Monday, April 24, 2023
A helicopter transporting Natural Resources Canada glacier surveyors had a hard landing on an icefield in Banff National Park April 14. The accident l...
this is a test
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Opinion
Letter: Keep up the public pressure to make Jasper’s backcountry safe
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Re: Fully funded bridge proposal rebuffed by Jasper's superintendent (May 5, 2023) Dear Editor, This is an excellent article in The Jasper Local. I am...
this is a test
Latest ›
Perfect pitch: Jasper golfer an ambassador for women and deaf athletes
News
Perfect pitch: Jasper golfer an ambassador for women and deaf athletes
Women’s Golf Day at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club is June 6
Bob Covey 
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Dressed in Sunday red, balanced perfectly on her follow-through and watching her golf ball arc above a stand of aspens on the hardest ranked hole at S...
this is a test
Team Orange has the blues: Low voter turnout in Neverland
Alberta Politics
Team Orange has the blues: Low voter turnout in Neverland
Bob Covey 
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Despite pundits calling this election the most important in Alberta’s history, only one in four eligible Jasperites made the trip down to the Jasper A...
this is a test
Undying loyalty to political parties (and hockey teams) is bad for Alberta
Editorial
Undying loyalty to political parties (and hockey teams) is bad for Alberta
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 26, 2023
Confession time: for as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Calgary Flames fan. It’s not my fault! When you’re eight-years-old and your dad is dancing...
this is a test
GYPSD trustees question Alberta charter schools
GYPSD trustees question Alberta charter schools
Bob Covey 
Friday, May 26, 2023
Grande Yellowhead Public School Division’s board of trustees is speaking out against publicly-funded charter schools. In an opinion piece run in regio...
this is a test

Copyright © The Jasper Local

This site complies with Jasper requirements
Contact us
Privacy Policy
Advertise With Us
About The Jasper Local
Accessibility Policy
This site complies with Jasper requirements
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • About The Jasper Local
  • Accessibility Policy

Follow Us

Advertise with us

Measurable, targeted, local. Email example@thejasperlocal.com

ePaper
coogle_play
app_store

© Copyright The Jasper Local