GTC sponsors 1st electric vehicle participant in 10,000 mile Mongol Rally

GTC sponsors 1st electric vehicle participant in 10,000 mile Mongol Rally

We frequently get approached by customers who are off to travel the world, doing something weird and wonderful either for charity or just for their own experiences. Julie and Chris Ramsey are no exception but their upcoming journey caught our eye - they will be the first participants to attempt the 10,000 mile journey of the Mongol Rally in an electric only vehicle.

Julie and Chris make up the team which is "Plug In Adventures". Founded by Chris in 2011 Plug In Adventures was born from a combined passion for adventure and electric vehicles (EV). Comprising a group of EV enthusiasts based in Scotland, its aim is to engage with the public in unique and different ways, championing all things EV-related.

The Mongol Rally organised by The Adventurists is a mission for anyone. But taking a car which can only be powered by electricity, whilst crossing some of the most remote areas on the planet takes this a step further. In a quest to raise funds for WWF Scotland and Cool Earth Julie and Chris will spend 6-8 weeks in the Nissan Leaf and have planned their journey meticulously - they will be travelling through some areas where there is no public electric infrastructure in place.

The Nissan Leaf has been modified inside to provide maximum fuel efficiency. Images from Top Gear: https://www.topgear.com/car-news/adventures/tg-drives-rally-prepped-nissan-leaf#1

Not only is there no public electric infrastructure but communications networks are also unreliable or non-existent and that's where GTC come in. Providing communications via satellite will allow Plug In Adventures to transmit their location by SPOT Gen3 Satellite Tracker even in the remotest of locations. In case of emergency the SOS function can be used. The SOS will send the team's location to an emergency response centre.

In fact since the launch of SPOT in 2007 over 5,000 rescues have been initiated from SPOT devices. Having sold over 10,000 SPOT devices here at GTC, we are confident in recommending this product to anybody venturing into the unknown.

SPOT is a one way device meaning messages can only be sent out and not received in. As a backup, Chris and Julie will also be carrying a Globalstar satellite phone. This gives them peace of mind that they can actually speak to their contacts if they need to.

"We spoke with GTC on a number of occasions and have received excellent service and advice. We're pleased to have GTC on board as a team sponsor. Giving family, friends and the public that are following our adventure the opportunity to track our progress live is exciting for us and will help bring people closer to our adventure. "

Mongol Rally 2017 kicks off on Sunday 16th July from Goodwood. Keep track of Plug In Adventures via their website and social media channels: