After 3 years, in April 2019, Dutchman Wiebe Wakker's trip around the world by electric car came to an end. Traveling through 3 continents, 34 countries, driving an electric car without using gasoline for more than 100,000 km, Wakker reached the southernmost towns in the world. This trip will certainly go down in history as one of the greatest adventures.
Along the way, Wakker was provided with food, shelter and, of course, free electricity. He traveled through many places with different climates, from Northern Europe to the Middle East, across Southeast Asia and finally to Australia.
In Australia, electric vehicle infrastructure is still in its infancy. Wakker has had his fair share of struggles, including being stuck for three days at Madura Pass unable to charge his electric vehicle until he convinced a passerby to tow his electric vehicle to a charging station.
In New Zealand, Wakker found the country he had been waiting for. The number of electric cars in New Zealand is just under 15,000, but the country is well prepared for the rise of zero-emission vehicles. The New Zealand government recently introduced a Clean Car policy, which imposes penalties on polluting vehicles and encourages incentives and discounts for energy-efficient or environmentally friendly vehicles. Electric vehicle charging stations are also being built across the country.
Wakker also explored a new form of travel in New Zealand – the Britz campervan, which is also fully electric. The campervan can travel 120 km on a single charge. Wakker claims it is a very economical way to travel around the country. Using it, he visited campsites in the northern region of New Zealand, the Coromandel, in nine days.
Campsites here are always fully equipped with everything from two-way power chargers to dedicated areas for campervans.
Although he was unable to register his trip in the Guinness Book of Records (the rules exclude modified vehicles), Wakker was satisfied because he did not care about the record but focused on the journey and spreading the message to people. Indeed, many people were inspired by him and bought their own environmentally friendly electric cars.
