Frenchman Xavier Chevrin begins 3,000-mile African EV adventure

« Back to Article

Image of 25 Use your left and right arrow keys to navigate the gallery

« Prev | Next »

Xavier Chevrin at the press conference held at UNEP's headquarters in Nairobi

UNEP's Peter Gilruth gives Chevrin a memorable send off

The press get up close and personal with the electric Berlingo ahead of the Mission Africa challenge

Xavier Chevrin recently began a journey through Africa in an electric Citroën Berlingo to demonstrate the reliability and energy efficiency of electric vehicles under extreme conditions

Xavier Chevrin and the bright orange electric Berlingo about to set off on an African adventure

Xavier Chevrin hits the roads of Nairobi after leaving the UNEP headquarters

A map showing the intended route

A number of conferences discussing sustainable transport and renewable energy have been arranged

Locals get to grips with the electric Citroën Berlingo at Amboseli Arusha

The bright orange electric vehicle has no back-up generator, so if it runs out of power it will be stranded

For many, it will be their first encounter with an electric vehicle, and the adventurer will take every opportunity to show off zero emission technology

The aim of the trip is to demonstrate the reliability and energy efficiency of electric vehicles under extreme conditions

Xavier Chevrin has embarked an an epic journey that will see him travel along the roads and trails through Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa in a electric Berlingo

The electric Berlingo being used for the challenge is similar to those currently in the service of the French Postal Service, albeit with some extra battery power to extend its range and raised suspension

The vehicle is powered by three 23.5 kWh nickel sodium chloride batteries which gives the vehicle a range of up to 500 km

Stunning views and frequent wildlife encounters are almost guaranteed

The local wildlife can see the electric vehicle as it passes, but may not be able to hear very much

Xavier Chevrin navigates the dirt roads of Arusha Kondoa

The electric Berlingo has received some suspension modifications to cope with the various road conditions that will be encountered during the African adventure

For many Dodoma locals, it will be their first encounter with an electric vehicle and Chevrin is taking every opportunity to show off zero emission technology

Approaching some local people at Kondoa Dodoma - who will doubtless ask Chevrin to raise the hood

Charging up the batteries at Makambo

Full recharge time is said to be seven hours when plugged into a standard 220V/16A socket or five hours for 80 percent capacity

An elephant never forgets - at Mikumi National Park

The electric Berlingo features a 21kW (nominal) / 42kW (max) asynchronous three-phase electric motor delivering 180 Nm of torque and giving a top speed of 110 km/h (68 mph)

Article Summary

Xavier Chevrin is no stranger to extended EV adventures. In 2008, he rode an electric scooter between Paris, France and Almaty in Kazakhstan, and two years later he set the record for the longest distance traveled in an electric vehicle by taking a Venturi-powered electric Citroën Berlingo van from Shanghai in China to Paris, notching up some 13,400 km (8,326 miles) in the process – but costing less than 200 dollars for the whole trip. Now he's set off on an African adventure that will take him from Nairobi to Johannesburg – a distance of around 4,800 km (just short of 3,000 miles) – in about six weeks, charging the vehicle as he stops to chat with locals along the way.

« Back to Frenchman Xavier Chevrin begins 3,000-mile African EV adventure

Other Images from this Gallery