Scots complete 1,652 mile trip in all-electric vehicle

Chris Ramsey and Jonathan Porterfield completed the epic journey from John OGroats to Lands End - and back again - in an all-electric Nissan LEAF

The journey, completed by Chris Ramsey and Jonathan Porterfield, took just over two days to finish and covered a distance of 1,652 miles.

The electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts, who founded the group Plug In Adventure, took on this mammoth drive to highlight the breadth and scale of the charging infrastructure in the UK and to prove the capability and practicality of electric cars. Using a Nissan LEAF, the duo took advantage of the UK’s publicly available 7,000 charging points.

Interest in EVs is growing, with an average of around 2,400 cars being registered per month in 2015.

The first half of the journey, from John O’Groats to Land’s End took 28 hours and 38 minutes, a time that the pair claim is a new record. It was quickly beaten when the duo completed the return journey in 27 hours and 47 minutes.

Robert Tweedie, EV Manager, Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd added: “Congratulations to both Chris and Jonathan on a fantastic achievement. The fact that they were able to complete the 1,600-mile journey in an all-electric LEAF is proof that EVs are not just for short journeys.

“Nissan, alongside charging partner Ecotricity, is working hard to ensure that all-electric driving becomes accessible for all and with more than 95% of the country’s motorway service stations equipped with rapid charging technology, EV ownership has never been as viable or as practical as it is today.”