3,000 miles, 16 countries, 89 hours and electric all the way

Detour Life

Sep 21

A team of EV adventurers has driven a Kia EV6 from Norway to Portugal faster than Stirling Moss.

Starting in Oslo the Max Adventure drivers headed into Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Monaco, Spain and Portugal covering 3,174 miles in less than four days.

Despite having to stop to charge and taking a detour over the Julier Pass and round the Monaco Grand Prix circuit the team beat the time set by Sir Stirling in 1952 driving a Humber Super Snipe in his “15 countries in five days” challenge by 47 minutes. Pausing only to juice up at rapid chargers and swap drivers the team made such swift progress that they shave a whole day off their predicted journey time of 120 hours and even added an extra country for good measure.

“This wasn’t about trying to beat Sir Stirling, but demonstrate that mammoth trans-continental drives in an EV can easily be undertaken here and now in 2022,” said team 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.”

At Detour we also run a Kia EV6 and this expedition has certainly got us thinking about just how far we could take it.

More electric adventures

Tiny Citroëns Tackle Trans Africa Adventure

In 1924 André Citroën set off from Paris to cross the entire African continent. Now rally driver Eric Vigouroux is set to celebrate the centenary of this epic drive with Citroen’s smallest EVs.

Hypermiling Mustang Mach-E has no Range Anxiety

An electric Ford Mustang Mach-E has managed to travel 569 miles on a single charge to set a Guinness World Record.

Stay at this Swanky Hotel and Take an Eco-Friendly Road Trip in an Electric MGB

To celebrate its 40th anniversary Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons has partnered with RBW to offer guests the chance to explore the Oxfordshire countryside in a zero-emissions classic roadster.

How Driving Drives Away the Winter Blues

Getting behind the wheel can have a positive impact on people suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Explorer by Name, Explorer by Nature: New EV Laps the Globe

A Ford Explorer has just become the first EV to circumnavigate the planet after completing a 30,000-km drive through 27 countries.

Why There’s No Need for Alpine Anxiety on an EV Road Trip to the Mountains

What goes up must come down. And that’s extremely good news when you’re driving an electric car in the mountains.

Detour #236: Dhofar, So Good – An Off-Road Adventure in Oman

Ben Barry discovers Oman’s Dhofar region in an adventure-ready, all-electric Audi

Driving Pole to Pole in an electric car? Completed it, mate

British adventurers Chris and Julie Ramsey have just become the first people to drive from the magnetic North Pole to the South Pole. What’s more they’ve done it in an all-electric car.

Chemmy Alcott, Olympic skier and TV presenter

Chemmy Alcott is a four-time Winter Olympian, ski coach, BBC Ski Sunday presenter and keen driver. Last winter, she challenged herself to drive a Škoda Enyaq around the Alps — learning the hard way how to make an electric car work over 4,500 miles in the mountains.

Across the Sahara on solar power

A team of Dutch students has just crossed the Sahara desert in a car powered solely by the sun.

Nissan's electric adventurers have just crossed the equator

The husband and wife team driving a Nissan Ariya electric car from the North to the South Pole have passed the halfway point.

Porsche electrifies Australia with 3,000 mile road trip

A Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo has just just proved that long-distance EV travel is easy – even across the most remote parts of Australia.

The new Ford Explorer will live up to its name on a round-the-world adventure

An intrepid young adventurer has just set off to circumnavigate the globe in Ford’s first fully-electric SUV.

America's loneliest road has finally gone electric

A 300-mile stretch of road across the Nevada desert known as The Loneliest Road in America is not a place you’d want to run out of juice.

The first EV to drive around the world is going for another lap

On 2012 Rafael de Mestre set out in his Telsa Roadster from Barcelona on a mission to circumnavigate the globe. Now he’s doing it again.

EV road tripping across the world will soon get easier, greener and more luxurious

Attempting long trips by electric vehicle is still seen as somewhat risky and adventurous, but that should soon change once a wide range of initiatives around the world are put into place.

Meet the Dutch duo driving to South Africa and back in an electric car

Maarten van Pel and Renske Cox are on a mission to drive from The Netherlands to Cape Town and back in an electric Skoda.

Back to the future in the world's first VW ID. Buzz camper

Simon Heptinstall gets his hands on the first camper conversion of VW’s new electric van.

The Lake District is being electrified for EV road trippers

A road trip route designed especially for electric car drivers has just been opened up in the Lake District.

Driving the best car in the world on the best road in Africa

A silent Rolls-Royce Spectre gives Sudhir ‘Banzai’ Matai a different perspective on his favourite Franschhoek Pass.

From Austria to Slovakia by EV

A new online electric travel guide steers EV drivers on a road trip across central Europe.

How to drive around Britain without paying a penny

Who doesn’t love a free ride? According to research by Peugeot it’s perfectly possible to complete a lap of mainland Britain’s coastline for free – as long as you drive an electric car.

Win a stay in the world's first car-powered hotel

Hyundai has opened the first hotel powered by an electric car and you can win an overnight stay.

3,000 miles, 16 countries, 89 hours and electric all the way

A team of EV adventurers has driven a Kia EV6 from Norway to Portugal faster than Stirling Moss.

10 tips for a stress-free EV road trip

The key to a successful and stress-free road trip in an electric car is forward planning. With 5,000 miles of electric trips under the wheels of the Detour daily-driver Kia EV6, here’s what we’ve learned.

Charging your EV on a British road trip just got more interesting

Britain’s EV charging points can make for rather depressing pit stops, but EV owners looking to use their re-charge time in a more enjoyable way have been offered some more enticing options thanks to new recommendations by Lexus.

Detour #154: Electrifying the Norfolk coast, UK

Our first fully electric Detour takes Nik Berg on a shore-hugging tour of Norfolk. Will the battery end up as flat as the landscape?

111 hours in the saddle. How a new electric bike Cannoball record was set

It’s 2,906 miles from Redondo Beach in California to the Red Ball Garage in New York and one rider just smashed the previous record for electric motorcycles.