TECH - Kia EV6 Max Adventure challenge
Photos: Josh Raper Media, courtesy of Newspress
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In 1952, Stirling Moss and a team of drivers travelled from Norway to Portugal in five days, crossing through 15 European countries in the process. Seventy years later, a team of adventurers have recreated that journey, using Kia’s EV6 in what was called the ‘Driven to Extremes Euro EV Marathon’.
To mark this year’s World EV Day on 9 September, the British-based ‘Driven to Extremes’ team that have previously conducted motoring adventures in all parts of the world, from Siberia to South Africa, looked at Moss’s drive and thought it could be recreated with a modern spin.
Instead of the then-new Humber Super Snipe used by Moss and three of his ‘fast friends’ in ’52, the Driven to Extremes team chose a new Kia EV6 Air to recreate the journey, demonstrating not only the range and capability of the all-electric crossover SUV, but also the breadth and accessibility of Europe’s EV charging network.
“This wasn’t about trying to beat Stirling, but to demonstrate that mammoth trans-continental drives in an EV can easily be undertaken here and now in 2022,” said Project Leader Mac Mackenney.
“Many people still view EVs as ineffective or unable to cope as a daily means of transport outside of city life, but the Kia EV6 and the charging network show that just isn’t true.”
Choosing Kia
According to Mackenney, Kia’s EV6 was chosen for the Euro EV Marathon due to its impressive 527km range (WLTP combined cycle) and 800V rapid-charging capabilities, as time lost waiting for recharging would be pivotal to whether the five-day time frame of the 1952 drive could be equalled or bettered this time around.
The Kia’s 800V charging tech is capable of taking the battery from 10 to 80 per cent charge in just 18 minutes using a 350kW charger, or from 10 to 80 per cent in 1 hour and 13 minutes using a 50kW charger. This capability allowed the team to pick optimal stopping points along the way.
To cut downtime even further, the Driven to Extremes team also relied on ‘Kia Charge’, a service that lets EV owners access more than 400,000 public chargers across Europe from a single account. This provided the team with a variety of rapid charging locations to choose from along the route, maximising their options for stop and recharge points, thus enabling them to get back on the road as quickly as possible after each required stop.
Of the EV6 itself, no modifications were made to the crossover SUV for the 3,000+ mile (4,800+ km), five-day journey, with the electric motor, batteries, suspension, brakes, interior appointments and even the tyres unmodified from what’s available on an EV6 from the showroom.
The team of three drivers for this trans-European trek, while capable enough, weren’t racers like those in Moss’s 1952 adventure, either. Public roads were used throughout, with strict adherence to speed limits, too.
Supporting the team was a Kia Sorento SUV, which would carry a camera crew and photographers, along with provisions for the participants and spares for the EV6.
Fast 5
The five-day journey started from Kia’s Norwegian headquarters on the outskirts of Oslo at 3:00 PM on 5 September and would conclude after crossing the border from Spain into Portugal, with the aim to be in Kia’s Portugal HQ in Lisbon for World EV Day on 9 September.
Within the first couple of days, it became apparent that the EV6 would easily better the 120-hour time from 1952, so the Driven to Extremes team added a 16th European country to the itinerary and still reached the border with time to spare, entering Portugal on 8 September at 8:12 AM, meaning they had completed the journey in less than four days – 89 hours and 12 minutes, to be precise – beating Moss’s time by 47 minutes.
The EV6’s rapid charging technology and access to charging stations under the Kia Charge programme were cited as crucial in the ability to complete the trip in such a quick time, allowing the Driven to Extremes team to cruise on to Kia Portugal HQ for World EV Day.
In total, Driven to Extremes covered 3,174 miles (5,109km) in under four days with their stock EV6 for the Euro EV Marathon, driving in shifts and only stopping approximately every 200 miles (321km) to recharge the crossover SUV and change drivers.
From the start point in Norway, the team travelled through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Monaco (which is arguably a bit of a cheat), Spain and Portugal. The full itinerary, which was logged by YB Tacking, can be viewed at: https://yb.tl/evmarathon
This is believed to be the first time such a journey has been undertaken in a purely electric-powered SUV or EV of any type.
“We’d like to thank Kia UK, as well as Kia Norway and Kia Portugal, for their support and hospitality, and want to recognise the enthusiasm and kindness we’ve experienced on the road as we’ve travelled from the top of Europe to the bottom,” Mackenney said.
