01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Press and Journal
World records for Aberdeen couple Chris and Julie Ramsey, the Pole to Pole EV adventurers
In the world of serious exploration, any Pole to Pole journey is a big deal.
And when it comes to electric vehicles, most long-distance challenges are still viewed with interest.
Add into that the sometimes tricky dynamic of a husband-and-wife driving team, and you can see why Chris and Julie Ramsey hit the headlines.
The couple have somehow become the evangelists of electric vehicles, showing in their everyday lives how you CAN get from Aberdeen to Thurso in an EV.
But if actions speak louder than words, their Pole to Pole trip in a Nissan Ariya was certainly shouting about the future of electric cars.
The Aberdeen couple spent ten months effectively living in a car together as they drove more than 18,000 miles through 14 countries across three continents.
Now, their efforts have been recognised with not one, but two, Guinness World Records.
Sitting in an interview with the Ramseys, their enthusiasm is infectious.
They also make it sound perfectly normal that they spent ten months in an electric car driving from Pole to Pole.
And it wasn't even the first time they'd done something like that.
So how do a husband and wife team end up taking on a mission like this?
Julie and Chris have both lived in Aberdeen for decades (Julie is originally from Thurso and Chris from Middlesbrough).
They married in 2009, but have been together for more than 20 years.
Interestingly, they both worked in oil and gas originally – making them the poster boy and girl for the current transition.
And although they'd both always enjoyed travelling, it was specifically the electric car revolution that changed their lives.
In 2013, Chris and a friend did a road trip around the UK in a Nissan Leaf – and he was bitten by the bug.
He said: 'I'm a bit like the accidental adventurer.
'We don't preach, we just show people what can be done.'
Out of his accidental adventures, Chris decided his Plug In Adventure brand was something he could make a career out of.
Despite having been married for years at this point, Chris popped the bigger question to Julie: 'Will you do the Mongol Rally with me in an electric car?'
I asked if anyone went down on one knee. They didn't, but Julie's answer was an emphatic 'yes'.
Chris jokes that he included a 'cruise' in the trip – in reality, it was a decidedly unromantic container ship as part of the expedition.
The couple got special permission to complete the Mongol Rally in 2017. It took three months.
The pair relied upon the kindness of strangers to give them beds for the night and help them charge the battery of their Nissan Leaf.
Then, the plan was hatched for the Pole to Pole. It took years of phone calls, emails and organisation – but it finally happened in 2023.
Again, as they left the beaten track, the couple relied on the kindness of locals and community .
But this time, it was ten months, not three, and things got pretty extreme.
Chris said: 'We spent many years being told it wasn't possible, being told 'no.'
And how did the trip affect their relationship?
Chris said: 'For us, we're a very close couple anyway. The best thing about what we do is we do it together.
'After this, we could be marriage guidance counsellors.'
Spending months effectively living in a car together, the couple confirmed that 'you have to be comfortable with smells and noises'. Enough said.
Julie said: 'The reality is, it's really hard. Being husband and wife is definitely helpful because you can be yourself.
'Sometimes you need to let off steam – you have a little cry, hug it out and then move on.'
In their adapted Nissan Ariya, the couple drove for hours every day and quite often spent the night in the car.
In the polar regions, they had to prove they had the resources to get themselves out again without being stranded before they could even get in.
This took some ingenuity – they had a tiny wind turbine, occasionally used solar power, and also had to carry a small petrol generator as a last resort.
But anywhere it was possible, they tried to leave behind plans for improved charging facilities and infrastructure.
Julie said: 'We adventure with a purpose and try to leave a legacy behind.'
She added that although the trip was 'the most mentally and emotionally exhausting experience', it had some standout memories.
She said they loved meeting new people in every community they passed through – and also had the amazing experience of seeing a polar bear in its natural environment.
In a less polar bear-populated place, Julie and Chris are working hard to change people's perceptions of EVs in the UK.
In 2016, Chris travelled the NC500 in a 90-mile range electric car. 'It was fine,' he said.
The couple have two electric cars themselves and regularly make trips to Caithness and on to Orkney.
Julie said: 'It's all about trying it.
'We're not tree huggers or the green police, but we all have choices in life and if we can make clean green choices, then why not?'
Chris added: 'Would you drive from Aberdeen to Thurso in one go? EVs can do that now, but would you actually want to?'
They say the key to it is planning – where you'd naturally stop for lunch or a cup of tea or a leg stretch, make sure there is a charger there.
Chris already has one, from riding an electric bike round and round Grampian Transport Museum in 2018.
And the couple stress – as if it's not already obvious – they're very much more interested in raising awareness of their cause, as opposed to accolades.
But still, it's fitting that such an extreme and challenging trip was recognised by the global arbiters of such things.
They now have the titles for completing the first expedition by an electric car from the Magnetic North Pole to the South Pole and for the longest journey by an electric car in Antarctica.
The 'first' record in particular is a big deal – they're not handed out willy-nilly, and only happen when very specific criteria are met.
Julie said: 'We were just elated with this recognition of everything that we've done and all the effort that we've put into creating this expedition and success with completing it.
'It was just a great honour.
'I never in this world imagined I'd be a Guinness World Record holder, you know, so it's one of those kind of surreal moments.
'But we're just so happy to be recognized because doing this and putting this together, it's been hard, hard work.'
The couple's next adventure is a bit more indoors – they're writing a book about their adventure.
