Upon waking up each morning, members of team RGE perform a fairly standard routine which involves stumbling out of the RV into the 24/7 daylight, and checking that the chargers have done their job and charged the car up full to the brim. On this occasion however, the car was not charged up…not even close! We attributed this to an overnight power failure as the car and chargers were still working fine. So we plugged everything back in, got the car charging again, and waited for it to charge.

This is where Fast Eddy’s and their extremely friendly staff helped a lot because, despite the rain and cold, we had a warm and spacious place to eat, drink coffee, and glue our noses to whatever internet-giving devices we could lay our hands on. A few power cut free hours later, the car was charged up, the team was doped up on caffeine, and it was time to hit the road!

Normally, we try and get between 250 and 300 miles done per day as this requires only one charge and means not too many hours are spent driving. However, on the days in which we are scheduled to cross borders, as we were today (US to Canada) we have to give ourselves extra time. So, on this occasion, we chose an RV park about 20 miles past the border in Beaver Creek, and shortened the day to a meagre 140 miles.

About 40 miles on from Tok, the road deteriorated rapidly, and in some stretches speeds as low as 25mph had to be endured as even the big SUVs had to navigate around elephant-sized dips and loose, uneven gravel. The poor quality of the road is actually due to efficient maintenance rather than the other way around; the ripped up carriageway is part of the process of repairing it and bringing it up to a quality standard. This is more difficult than in other parts of the world as freeze-thaw conditions and copious amounts of melt water during and after their long winters all contribute to yearly road damage. But the SRZero continued through it all without any problems, and 80 miles later, we reached the US-Canadian border…

…well that’s what we expected to happen! The reality was that all of a sudden we saw a sign saying “Welcome to Canada” with not a border guard in sight. It was here that Clemens’ homework paid off; while the rest of us were laughing about how lax the border was (or seemed to be) Clemens was asking us to stop and turn round! We had forgotten to have the Carnet signed; an official document detailing every item of equipment we have with us to prove that nothing that had been imported into the US had been sold or retained inside the US.

So, back up the hill we went until we reached the US border (now from the wrong direction!) where we were greeted by a very enthusiastic border guard. The conversation goes something like the following:

Guard: “Hi, how are you?”
Clemens: “Fine thanks” as he mumbles something and gets out the car to have a friendly chat with the border guard.
Guard: “REMAIN IN YOUR VEE-HICKLE!” he shouted.
Clemens scurries back in.
Guard: “YOUR PASSPORTS!” he exclaimed, followed by general murmurs of approval as he checks our faces against our passports and scans them through his machine. Much time is spent thumbing Clemens’ passport with a very perturbed expression; clearly he wasn’t a fan of the 2 Iranian visas in there!
Guard: “Is this your motorhome?”
Clemens: “No, we’re hiring it and depositing it in Seattle.”
Guard: “OK, let me see some proof of the vee-hickle rental and registration.”
Toby passes across some documents to the above effect.
Guard: “The rental seems in order, but you have given me the user manual for the motorhome. I do not need this.” He hands back said document.
Alex: “But the vehicle registration document is in the back of that folder.”
Guard: “I will ask you for that document when I need it!”
2 seconds later…
Guard: “Let me see the vehicle registration document!”

Anyway, you get the gist. But everything was signed and handled efficiently, and we weren’t delayed for too long. The SRZero, as usual, got preferential treatment and was waved through without much hassle. From the border post we followed an incredibly scenic route through no man’s land until we reached the official border, and incredibly, the border between Canada and the US could be visibly seen. In the forest separating these huge nations was a massive tract of trees that had been felled to mark the border. Dead straight, it extended in both directions for as far as the eye could see…quite amazing actually!

A few miles later we arrived at the Canadian border post where we were greeted by a friendly woman who made light work of our passports and Carnet. She even knew that the SRZero was electric, and she asked a few more questions, more out of curiosity than duty I suspect. Unlike the previous border, she was quite content to allow the team to film and photograph the whole experience, and so it was after a pretty easy and hassle-free day that we entered Canada. First border completed!

After a few more miles, we turned off the road into Beaver Creek RV, one of a handful of buildings in this incredibly small population centre. The weather and scenery was fantastic, and provided the perfect backdrop for an SRZero first; doughnutting! In front of the RV park there was a big gravel yard, and with the SRZero’s fantastic power and handling, we were doughnutting away to our hearts’ content, much to the amusement of the assembled locals!

Doughnutting on dry gravel has a side effect though; lots and lots of dust! So we decided it was prudent to take the car apart and do a full on service and clean. So it was for the next couple of hours that we happily tinkered away on the car while the sun imperceptibly inched towards the horizon, and the barbeque crackled away on the side. After putting the car back together and plugging in all 3 chargers, which were working flawlessly now, we ate a fitful meal of sausages and burgers. The setting was fantastic.

But then, the evil software monster had to rear its head! Toby and Alec, the team’s software gurus, wanted to try a new software update that would enhance our data collection. So after uploading the new software, it was time for a quick test. Two metres down the road however, it conked out, bringing back memories of problems we had just before shipping out the car. Fortunately however, it was the wrong software that was uploaded, and very quickly we had the right software on and everything worked again…a great feeling! After a few more minutes scrounging wifi off the local petrol station, it was time for bed after an initially frustrating, but ultimately very enjoyable and productive day.

Photos to come soon!

I had failed to mention in the previous blog post the absolutely sumptuous breakfasts which were also on offer in this food nirvana, and so this was the first port of call after the normal morning routine. I highly recommend the spinach, olive, tomato and pepper omelette…sorry, I digress! Back to the real business!

After breakfast, we went and unplugged the car from its geothermally-powered charging point, and we brought it to the middle of the resort for the guests and staff members to have a look and ask some questions. As always, the reception was fantastic, and the team delighted in talking about the car to a new and varied audience. In order to go some way to repaying the enormous hospitality shown to us, we asked Bernie, who you may remember from the previous post as the vibrant and charismatic owner of the hot springs, if he would like a ride in the car. A quick sprint up and down Chena Hot Springs Road showed the car’s true potential and it was a rather excitement-flushed Bernie that returned!

As Chena was our most northerly point on our trip, at just 75 miles south of the Arctic Circle, we deemed this the most fitting place to officially start our journey down the Pan-American Highway. So, after having spoken to many of Chena’s guests, we got the team and RV together and started saying goodbye to our hosts. But then Bernie came up with another great idea; to prove that “Sustainable is Attainable” why not show the car in a building demonstrating real energy efficiency and sustainability? And so back to the ice museum we went, but this time we drove the car inside! In and amongst the amazing ice sculptures, we cheered and whistled as the attempt to tackle the PanAm Highway unofficially commenced!

Officially, we started our trip south at the entrance gate to Chena Hot Springs at mile 56 of Chena Hot Springs Road. We had a quick photo shoot and then it was time to go! We had a lot of mileage to cover to get to Tok, our next checkpoint, and quite a few stops to make along the way, so it was with expedience that Nik and Clemens set off for the 266 mile drive.

However, just several miles down the road, the first flashes of lightning could be seen in the distance, and the rain started. It was just light rain at first, nothing we hadn’t encountered before, so we pushed on without any worries. But the clouds rapidly descended, the bolts of lightning got closer, and the rain became much heavier. To say the rain was of a tropical nature would be understating how heavy the precipitation was that engulfed us. Visibility was reduced to metres, the roads could not drain the water fast enough, and the RV was beginning to aquaplane in places. It was horrendous. Yet the SRZero, and her now soaking German-football-supporting occupants (karma at its finest!), pushed on with gusto; team RGE was not going to allow a little storm throw them off schedule!

So far, from Anchorage up to Chena, we had only ever had the RV and the SRZero in our convoy. However, with Claudio arriving in a hire car from Fairbanks, we had to make a stop off at the airport to return it. To ensure we still kept on schedule, we sent the SRZero off into the stormy wilderness alone for us to catch up with later, and the RV and Claudio’s car headed off to the airport. After handing back the car, we quickly found out the true power of social media. After doing many very successful documentary series such as Long Way Round, Long Way Down and By Any Means, Claudio has developed a large Twitter following. So, a couple of days ago, Claudio sent out a Twitter message asking if there were any bikers that were in our vicinity who would like to come along for a couple of days so that he could to some bike-to-car filming. And so, while we were handing back the car, along comes Rick on his massive BMW Adventure GS1200 motorbike.

Rick turns out to be an absolutely super guy, with a huge amount of travel experience and a real passion for adventure. Upon hearing our plans to drive all the way to Argentina, his spur of the moment decision was to come along as well! So we now have an extra man and extra vehicle in our convoy, and already the versatility of the bike has paid off as we can get some absolutely amazing shots of the SRZero while driving. In fact, as I write this, Andy is currently clinging on to the back of the bike for dear life with one hand, while taking photos with the other! Once our airport run was complete, we had to catch up with the SRZero which was miles ahead by now. So, we headed onto the highway and followed the signs to Tok!

A few hours later, the RV caught up with the SRZero at Delta Junction, a tiny smidgeon of a town which marked the beginning of the famous Alaskan Highway. As an interesting side note, the idea of a highway connecting south-western Canada (and hence the lower 48 States as well) to Alaska was proposed as early as the 1930s. But the sheer remoteness of the area and lack of political will meant that it was never seriously considered. But after the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1942 and the subsequent entry of the US into World War 2, the US deemed that a military presence in Alaska was paramount. This was for many reasons, chief among them was the fact that the Aleutian Islands (extending south-west of Alaska) were well within the range of Japanese attacks, and it also helped in getting military equipment over to Russia which was benefitting from US support at the time in the form of the Lend Lease Agreement. As such, a road up to Alaska was necessary, so the US military mobilised 80,000 soldiers to survey the land and build the 1,390 mile road from Dawson Creek in Canada, up to Delta Junction in Alaska. In a feet of engineering and endurance, the soldiers built right through the harsh winter and completed the road in just 8 months! It survives today as one of only 2 roads crossing from Canada into Alaska and through this immense and indescribably beautiful wilderness.

Anyway, getting back to the real discussion, Delta Junction provided a chance to fill the RV up with petrol and to give ourselves the chance to have a quick bite. Nik and Clemens were one step ahead of us as they had arrived earlier, and because of the car’s irresistible magnetism (or their pretty faces, you decide!) someone offered to buy them lunch, which they gladly accepted! So, the support crew grabbed a drink from the petrol station and an Indian taco next door (yet another delicious morsel) and we continued on. It was still raining hard in places, and despite the hours of wet and cold, the boys were in great spirits and happy to carry on!

With 108 miles to go, the state of charge was looking worryingly low. We had always known that a wet road increases the coefficient of rolling resistance, and hence the drag on the car and the more energy needed to keep it moving, but we were not prepared for how much of a difference it would make. So it was with our calculators out doing the sums and our anxiety growing that we approached our destination. Mercifully, the rain had abated somewhat, and roads were a lot drier than the previous few hours. In addition, the road was mostly straight, with one section being dead straight for 42 miles; quite an amazing sight! This provided the perfect conditions for the SRZero to maximise its range, and so it was after a tense drive that we arrived in Tok just as the state of charge indicator ticked to zero. Still, 266 miles in torrential rain, with some of the roads in immensely poor conditions, is quite an amazing achievement for a car that was designed and built in less than 9 months.

Upon arrival at around 9pm, we parked the RV and SRZero, plugged both vehicles in (the RV needs to be plugged in for the onboard electricity) and then headed off to Fast Eddy’s; a delicious restaurant just a few hundred metres away with the added bonus of free wifi. After a filling meal and a much needed internet hit (required at least once a day to keep complete insanity at bay) we headed back to the RV for some much needed sleep!

After a breath-taking 672km drive north from Anchorage, probably the longest day of driving we’re likely to have on the entire trip, we rolled up to the gates of Chena Hot Springs at about 1am. As we drove in, the whole team were truly taken aback; nestled in among pristine forested mountains lay a collection of wooden lodges, one of which was 105 years old and built in the traditional Alaskan style. And on the right, a small lake was partially shrouded in steam; this was the legendary hot springs which draws in over 100,000 visitors a year and something which we were very much looking forward to exploring in more detail!

But, business had to come first! The car had only a few per cent of energy left in the tank, and it needed a charge. Maurizio, a very friendly Colombian and employee of Chena Hot Springs, welcomed us and showed us to a massive green hangar at the back of the 564 acre property. After prodding a number of different sockets with the voltmeter to ensure we could find the ideal socket for some fast charging, we plugged the car in. A faint whirring could be heard from the room next door, and upon further investigation we found 4 large cylinders and associated pipework. These were geothermal generators and were pumping out 400kW…and our car was plugged into it mere metres away! The SRZero was literally being charged from energy taken straight out of the earth with absolutely zero CO2 emissions. Given the very long day though, we decided to turn in for the night and leave the exploring for the next day.

After a fitful sleep on some very comfortable beds, we met Jenny Kirch, a fellow Brit, who runs the resort on a day to day basis. She assured us Bernie was on his way to meet us for lunch, and while we were waiting, she suggested we accompanied her to see some dogs. Chena Hot Springs is home to over 200 fit and lean sled dogs that race every year in gruelling 2 week races through the snowy wilderness. For some team members who are particularly keen on the canine species, this was a particularly enjoyable experience, topped off by seeing two 2 week old husky puppies fast asleep in their kennels!

Next up was lunch with Bernie who turned out to be a real character! A man with more stories and life experiences than you can shake a stick at, he thoroughly entertained the team over a sumptuous lunch. We were advised that the food was good, but we weren’t prepared for the gastronomic delight that awaited us. The majority of the team sampled the clam chowder and salmon burger…words cannot describe the tastiness! Continuing on the food theme, the dinner we had later that day was of a similar nature; clam chowder again to start, and a rich creamy salmon pasta. I must stop writing about the food now because the mere memory makes me salivate too much! But a word of advice, if you ever find yourself in Alaska, this is the place to eat.

After lunch, it was time for a quick tour of the facility. Bernie took us over to the geothermal plant and showed us some really incredible engineering. In essence, the whole system is like a giant refrigerator operating in reverse, using hot water taken from the ground at 60°C and rejecting water back into the earth at around 40°C. It is the energy extracted from this temperature difference which powers the 400kW worth of generators.

Next up was a tour of the greenhouses which were, again, powered and heated by geothermal energy. One of these greenhouses was actually the largest temperature swing greenhouse in the world, allowing plants to be grown even in the frigid Alaskan winters. This was just another notch in a facility really taking green and sustainable engineering to the limit. Then, we walked over to Bernie’s pride and joy; a true marvel of art and engineering! Imagine a small hangar with large, heavy, wooden, medieval-looking doors. Nothing particularly special from the outside, but once you walk in, you are suddenly transported to a different world; an ice palace!

Everything in here was made of ice; the walls, the bar, the bar stools, a toilet (!), several beds, and a number of ice sculptures that take your breath away with their realism and beauty. The whole chamber was lit with super-efficient coloured LEDs as well as fibre optics piping in light from the outside, all in a bid to reduce the amount of cooling needed to keep the place cold. After a tour of the ice wonderland, we were invited to sit down at the ice bar for some appletinis served in hand made martini ice glasses. After being plied four such beverages by Bernie, who insisted we always needed an extra drink, we stumbled out into the bright and warm Alaskan afternoon!

From the ice palace, we began sauntering over to the hanger to give Bernie a ride in the car. However, half way across he was struck by a brainwave; “Would we like to go and see some bears?” he asked. These were a pair of the world’s biggest black bears apparently, and they were being fed by a good friend of Bernie’s about 30 miles away. Our answer was a resounding “Yes please!” So we jumped into the Chena Hot Springs minivan, and headed over.

After meeting a wonderful couple who are both biologists and look after the bears, we were shown over to the bears’ 3 acre enclosure. The bears, named Samson and Delilah, lumbered over for their sumptuous meal; a mixture of apples, pears, oranges, egg, salmon, bread, milk, dog food, grapes and blueberries, and settled themselves down for some quality munch. Despite their immense cuteness (they look exactly like the teddy bears you would find in a toy shop!) you could see their muscle rippling beneath their fur, and we were reminded that while these bears were accustomed to humans, they could still be vicious if provoked. Fortunately, the bears remained completely relaxed in our presence, and gulped down their meals with gusto. Before long, they waddled back into the forest and it was time to head back after an awesome and quite surreal experience!

Upon arriving back at Chena, we met up with Claudio who had just made it over from London in order to start filming the trip down the Pan-American Highway. After introducing Claudio to Bernie, we headed off for the aforementioned dinner to really test limits of how far our stomachs would stretch! Afterwards, it was time to relax after a long and very exciting day, and what better way to do so than by having a swim in the legendary hot springs. As natural as they come, with no chlorine or any other chemicals added, this rock fringed pool lay steaming on the edge of the complex. The smell of sulphur filled the air as the team dived into the warm and soothing waters. After a refreshing and revitalising swim, it was now time for bed!
Many thanks go out to Maurizio, Matt, Jenny and Bernie for making our stay so fantastic…we hope to see you again soon!

On Trip Day 3 we set off from our base on the outskirts of Anchorage to Fairbanks, over 420 miles away! The team was up late making sure that everything was sorted for the journey ahead, and then of course we had to be up early at 6am to set off for the first long range test of the SRZero on the American continent!
The journey would be split into 2 legs with RGE stopping over for lunch and a top up charge at an RV park along the way. These parks are proving to be great locations for electric vehicles as they already have the charging infrastructure in abundance. Of course there are a few teething issues such as plug sockets not necessarily matching and sometimes the fuses are not rated high enough – but these are small issues and are easily overcome.

On to the drive itself, and what a drive it was… For much of the journey the team were staring open mouthed at the sheer scale and beauty of Alaska. Most of the team had expected the landscape to be a forested wilderness with sparse settlements and hints of oil industry dotted around. And to an extent, that is what it is, but that simple does not do it justice.

Around every corner, a new mountain would spring up, changing the complexion of the landscape in the blink of an eye. Their sides were packed with tens of thousands of trees and the whole swathes of forest covered the floodplains.

It is truly a humbling experience when you try to comprehend the scale of the forces that created this place. Normally when driving through such an unspoiled landscape you might expect to feel a pang of guilt as the emissions spill from your car. But in our case the drive was guilt free and our jaw bones were aching as stunning landscape was followed by stunning landscape around every corner.
So after using up the memory cards on the RGE camera we finally made it to our destination 56 miles past Fairbanks. The place we arrived at was Chena Hot Springs which we will tell you all about in the blog tomorrow!

After discovering a do-it-yourself waffle maker, we duly filled our stomachs before going to pick up the RV Motor Home that we will be staying in until Seattle. It is an awesome vehicle with 8 beds, a kitchen, bathroom and lounge. However, it is already cramped with just the 6 of us and all our kit – it’s going to be very cosy when the others come out to join us! Thanks to everyone at Clippership motors who helped to get us on our way.

Later in the day we drove to the air freight terminal to pick up the SRZero and the rest of our equipment that Hellmann Logistics very kindly shipped for us. We were all a little nervous to see what condition the car would arrive in after being transported half way round the world! But it all arrived safe and sound and when we took it off the pallet, and the car worked first time! So the Hellmann team clearly took good care of our car, and the whole team are extremely grateful for the effort they all put in.

We spent an hour checking that everything had arrived before loading it up in the RV and then heading back to pick up our bags from the hotel. It was a tight squeeze, but with the excellent RGE packaging solutions you have seen in the SRZero, we soon came up with an arrangement to make the space habitable!

And then it was time to head off! The first leg of our journey was pretty short; only a few miles to the outskirts of Anchorage to the Golden Nugget RV Park. There we were able to charge the car overnight from 2 sockets, and by the time we woke up, the car was 100% fully charged!

While we waited in the glorious 24 hour daylight that evening, some of the other guests at the RV park came over to see the car, and we spent time showing them the car. After a long day of packing, moving, talking and driving, Nik and myself cooked up some sausages and steak burgers that were extremely well received by the rest of the team. After food, we had a quick visit from the local media, and very quickly it was time to get a few hours of sleep before the really long journey began…

Trip Day 1.

Today saw us complete our first full day of the trip, despite not actually driving the SRZero at all.  As part of our schedule and logistics planning, we had always allowed the first day of the trip to be getting ourselves organised, and we certainly needed it!

First off, we went to the airport to pick up our rental car which we needed for the first day, after which we headed to the Fedex cargo building to find out the latest with regard to the car and all our equipment that had flown over.  This is something that the team had been worrying about…given the fact that WE had problems getting through customs, we were expecting major setbacks in getting a low-slung, sporty looking EV and associated tools and spares through customs.  We were directed through security and to a wonderful lady called Lisa who excitedly waved a stamped piece of paper in our faces; everything was through customs!  We have yet to see the car and goodies actually through and clear of customs, and we were told to come back the next day (today) to pick it all up…so today is very exciting from that point of view!

Next up was a couple of trips to Walmart to stock up on equipment and supplies…nothing too exciting here apart from having to say that Walmart is awesome!  We should have gone to them for some sponsorship…

That’s it from this blog post as it’s now time to grab some breakfast and then go pick up our 29ft RV and car and equipment!  More to come soon!