From London to Oslo in 80 hours with electric vehicles

An 80 hour rally from London to Oslo solely with electric vehicles has been completed successfully. Initiated by E-mobility NSR, the EU funded INTERREG project in the North Sea Region, co-organised with its local partners and endorsed by 80 Day Race, this rally demonstrated that e-mobility across nations is possible.

The start of the race was held in London, following after an event in the prestigious Reform Club. This setting was chosen because it was the starting point of Phileas Fogg, main character in the 1873 Jules Verne novel ‘Around the world in 80 Days’, betting that new means of transportation make it possible to achieve this challenge. At that time, steam powered vehicles were about to replace horses. Today, we are facing another tipping point in history with the first mass market electric vehicles being available to substitute traditional means of transportation.

In the Reform Club, Robert Llewellyn, actor, comedian, writer and UK’s premier e-mobility specialist, placed a bet against Professor Stuart Cole, Emeritus Professor of Transport, Wales Transport Research Centre at the University of Glamorgan that Oslo could be reached within 80 hours. Mr Llewellyn won this bet after Frank Manders of 80 Day Race completed the 2201 kilometre journey from London to Oslo with a Tesla Model S in 78 hours and 14 minutes. Dutch e-mobility promoter NL|Mobility was the second Dutch team to complete the mission.

During the rally, all five competitors coming from various nations attended press events in the participating countries of the North Sea Region, including the opening ceremony of a multi fast charging point for electric vehicles in Heerhugowaard, the Netherlands on Saturday 12 April. This charging point was made possible by E-mobility NSR, Province of North Holland, Corio and Albert Heijn. Elisabeth Post, vice governor of the Province of Noord-Holland: “The province of Noord-Holland stimulates the development of sustainable alternatives for energy to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. This new charger, as well as the e-rally from London to Oslo, contribute to the popularity of electric mobility.” The event firm 80 Day Race participated in this e-rally. The Dutch start-up has launched a global competition for zero emission vehicles. The first edition of a race around the world will challenge teams to complete an epic journey between eight of world’s most exciting locations without using a single drop of fossil fuel.

Frank Manders, CEO of 80 Day Race: “When promoting sustainable mobility it is important to capture the hearts and minds of the public. A legendary race, a test of man and machine, has proven over time to be an excellent method to inspire people. We go back to the pioneering spirit of the early day adventurers who showed the world what can be done with new mobility solutions, paving the road for a sustainable future. We were happy to participate in the E-mobility NSR 80 hour rally to showcase that zero emission mobility across nations is possible.”

Professor Walter Leal, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Coordinator E-Mobility NSR: “With this campaign, we wanted to stir up people’s curiosity to make them more aware of electric mobility. Even with the prevailing challenges in terms of infrastructure, driving range and lack of coordinated charging, traveling in e-cars from London all the way to Oslo is possible already today. I thank all our drivers who successfully mastered this challenge!”

Dr Peter van Deventer MPA, Diplomatic Liaison/Director Coast to Coast e-Mobility: “The 80 hour Rally London-Oslo demonstrated what can be done already today with electric vehicles. The 80 Days around the World Race stimulates even further what Coast to Coast e-Mobility is all about: innovation and business development around e-mobility for Dutch and US industry, government and universities. As Director of Coast to Coast e-Mobility I wholeheartedly support this great initiative!”

Steef Korfker, founder of NL|Mobility: “Managing partner Rob Heijtink and I were the only participants with two 60 kW versions of the Tesla Model S. That means 30% less range than the other teams. On top of that we choose to travel without international passes to activate charging facilities. This way we simulated the challenges EV pioneers facing in Europe. We got our electric “juice” by making friends, endless phone calls, research and unexpected surprises. This experience is of great value to us and our sponsors for this rally: Direct Lease, Terberg Leasing and The New Motion, while it gives us the real story, lots of great contacts and a major to do list. I only crossed four North Sea Region countries, while Rob Heijtink did the whole tour, always way behind the rest of the field due to the self-chosen limitations. Nevertheless, he managed to arrive right on time.”

To read and view live updates of the 80 hours rally, please visit: https://storify.com/EmobilityNSR/ev-rally-londen-oslo For more information on E-mobility NSR visit: www.e-mobility-nsr.eu For more information on 80 Day Race visit: www.80dr.com For more information on Coast to Coast e-Mobility visit: www.coast2coastev.org For more information on NL Mobility visit: www.nlmobility.nl