Kia EV6 chosen to tackle 15 country, 3600-miles driving challenge
Expedition specialist Max Adventure is planning to drive a fully electric Kia EV6 from Oslo to Lisbon in just five days.
The 3,600-mile ‘Driven To Extremes Euro EV Marathon’ will pit the electric vehicle against the clock, visiting 15 countries in just 120 hours. With the support of Kia UK, the team will start the drive on September 5th, and aim to arrive in Lisbon on September 9th – World EV Day.
The ‘Driven to Extremes Euro EV Marathon’ draws on the adventure undertaken by Stirling Moss in 1952. A publicity stunt to promote the then-new Humber Super Snipe 4-door saloon, the legendary racing driver, along with three of his ‘fast friends’, visited 15 European countries in less than five days.
The team has once again opted to use the Kia EV6, having recently used the car to complete the first ‘Fen to Fell’ drive in an EV, a 209-mile route from Britain’s lowest to highest roads. The first time any vehicle has tackled the route, this was completed on a single charge with an indicated remaining range of 107 miles.
Speaking of the challenge, Project Leader Mac Mackenney said: “We want to show how it’s possible to cover a huge distance in a short time using an EV, and that the vehicles as well as the charging infrastructure are already available. The Kia EV6 was the obvious choice for this amazing challenge as we’ve been seriously impressed with the car during trials, and we know how capable and comfortable it is on a long journey.”
From its departure point at Kia’s Norwegian headquarters in Lørenskog on the outskirts of Oslo, the team of drivers will use main roads and bridges to cover the 3,600 miles and the adventure will be tracked at all times by a GPS system. The location will be available via the Max Adventure website. The team of three will take turns behind the wheel of the EV6, resting and navigating – with the only planned stops made for driver swaps and vehicle charging. A support vehicle, also supplied by Kia, will accompany the EV6 to document the drive, carrying a photography and film crew.
