Modified Nissan Ariya EV embarks on polar expedition

Nissan has shown off the physical version of the modified Ariya electric crossover that will embark on a 27,000km trip from the North Pole to the South Pole.

The Japanese carmaker first detailed its intention to do this expedition in May 2022 and revealed a small number of render images.

This particular Nissan Ariya has been modified in collaboration with polar expedition vehicle specialist Arctic Trucks, which has previously revealed modified versions of vehicles including the Toyota HiLux, Toyota LandCruiser, Isuzu D-Max, Nissan Patrol, and Ford F-350, among others.

Modifications made to this Ariya include humongous 39-inch BF Goodrich snow tyres that are covered by swollen wheel arch extenders.

The Ariya’s suspension has been adapted to compensate for these larger tyres.

There’s also an integrated coffee machine, weather station, and a drone that can launch from the roof.

Other than these changes, Nissan hasn’t made any modifications to the Ariya’s battery and dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain.

It’s unclear if this modified Ariya comes with the smaller 63kWh or larger 87kWh battery pack. It’s likely the latter so it can travel further without recharging.

If this is the case, it’s powered by a dual-electric motor setup producing 290kW of power and 600Nm of torque.

It’s expected the modified Ariya will have less claimed range than the regular model, which has a claimed 400km of range according to WLTP testing, due in part to the large tyres.

This expedition from the North Pole to the South Pole will be driven by Chris and Julie Ramsey who have previously completed the 17,000km Mongol Rally in an electric vehicle (EV).

During the trip the husband and wife duo will charge the modified Ariya with a towable generator prototype that uses a lightweight wind turbine and solar panels. It can only charge will parked.

At this stage the “epic adventure” will kick off in March and is expected to take around 10 months to complete.

As recently reported, the regular Nissan Ariya has started rolling out across markets such as Europe, the US and Japan, but Australia still has no firm launch date – even though the local arm says it’s very eager to offer it.

Nissan Australia managing director Adam Paterson told CarExpert in December last year that the Ariya is more of a ‘when’ not ‘if’ proposition for our market, and noted the local division is well aware there’s demand for such a vehicle here.

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