Automotive Engineering - April 2024 - 11

TECHNOLOGY REPORT
EV TESTING
All-electric Nissan Ariya handles ultra-cold temps on Pole to Pole trek
Chris and Julie Ramsey covered more than 33,000 km (20,505
miles) across three continents in an all-electric passenger vehicle
from 1823's magnetic North Pole to the South Pole in a world-first
expedition. The Scottish adventurers joyfully recounted their
10-month long globetrotting feat during an interview with SAE
Media at the 2024 Chicago Auto Show.
The Ramseys' four-wheel transporter was a production 2022
Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE crossover SUV with no changes to the
drivetrain, suspension system or 87-kWh lithium-ion battery
system. " We wanted to keep the modifications minimal to
prove the reliability of a standard EV, " Julie Ramsey said.
Engineers from Reykjavik, Iceland-headquartered Arctic
Trucks added a full underbody skid plate, installed front and rear
towing points and altered the Ariya's wheel arches to accommodate
39-inch (991 mm) tires. Those colossal tires rolled at 4 psi to
handle the Arctic's snow-covered boulder fields and slick ice. The
coldest temperature at Earth's northernmost region hovered
around -39C/-38 F degrees and plummeted to bone-numbing
-53C/-63F degrees with wind chill.
" The car charged every time, " Julie Ramsey said. " It might not
have charged at the same rate and speed as if it were in normal
temperatures, but it did charge. " In the brutally frigid Arctic, the
team typically charged the weather-exposed Ariya in six- to
eight-hour periods.
With charging stations non-existent in the polar regions, the
Ramseys' relied on prototype mobile hybrid charging systems:
a 5 kW wind turbine that powered a petrol generator in the
Arctic, and solar panels to supply generator power in
Antarctica. " When we had good sun for the solar panels, we
used about a third less of the fuel than if we were just running
the generator, " Chris Ramsey said.
Chris and Julie Ramsey take a self-portrait during their Pole to Pole electric
vehicle expedition. " This car performed superbly, " said Chris Ramsey.
During the Ariya's development, Nissan tested the EV in
Japan's snow-covered northernmost main island. " The Ariya
[also] underwent real-world testing in Canada in sub-zero
temperatures, " according to James Mastronardi, vehicle performance
development manager for marketability engineering
at Nissan Motor Co. The extreme cold temperatures encountered
on the Pole-to-Pole EV excursion left the Ramseys
with an occasional pang of range anxiety.
While Ariya's driving range can reach 304 miles (489 km)
when equipped with e-4ORCE all-wheel drive and the 87-kWh
battery system, the driving range of the 109.3-in (2776 mm)wheelbase
utility vehicle was roughly halved (to about 150 miles,
or 241 km) in the Arctic, and sometimes dropped as low as 62
miles (100 km), according to the Ramseys. " The terrain is very
variable, " Julie Ramsey said. " It can change from hour-to-hour,
so that also has a big impact on the car's range capability. "
In addition to using experimental hybrid charging systems at
the Poles, the Ramseys primarily relied on public charging stations
in the 14 countries the expedition passed through. The
Ramseys were stymied by the unreliability of many public
charging stations in the U.S. " What let us down was the infrastructure
to charge the car. That part needs improvement, but
the car performed amazingly. " Julie Ramsey said.
For Nissan, the official car partner of the Pole-to-Pole trip, the
Julie and Chris Ramsey flank the Nissan Ariya that went Pole-to-Pole over
a 10-month span in 2023. The couple, who reside in Aberdeen, Scotland,
also drove a modified first-generation Nissan LEAF with a 24 kWh battery
system in the 10,000 mi/16,093 km transcontinental Mongol Rally in 2017.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
successful expedition brings additional confidence to Ariya's capabilities
and its innovative technologies, which include a dedicated
battery heater to prepare the Li-ion battery system for
charging. " Having an understanding of how Ariya performed in
extreme cold weather conditions, like the North to South Pole
expedition, is something that will help us in our future development
of electric vehicles, " Mastronardi said.
Kami Buchholz
April 2024 11
FROM TOP: CHRIS RAMSEY; KAMI BUCHHOLZ
Automotive Engineering - April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive Engineering - April 2024
