Sponsored by 360 Energy, The Green Expedition aims to be the most important journey in the world of electric vehicles.
As of April 10th of this year, Route 40 has transformed into a luxurious spectator of sustainable vehicles that were brought from France to cover more than 5000 km along the famous national highway.
The participants, mostly French, began the trip in Rio Gallegos to later pass through Santa Cruz, Chubut, Río Negro and Neuquén. In such a way, they are able to contemplate the landscapes along the way that belong to San Juan and Mendoza. The last leg afterwards will be La Rioja, Catamarca, Tucumán and Salta.
This adventure race is set to finish on the 28th of April, when it will have taken 20 stops and travelled more than 5,000 km in sustainable rally, breaking the previous record of 1,800 km.
The vehicles being driven are the following: Two Renault “Zoe”, a Tesla “S85”, a “Zero DS” road bike from Motor Cycles, and two electric bicycles by Matra that are power assisted once the user pedals, allowing the cyclist to easily reach 40 km/h. Regarding the electric vehicles, the
Tesla is a luxury brand vehicle that can put in 450 km before charging is needed, higher than the average offered by the market. The Renault Zoe is more accessible. It is a mid-range vehicle that can travel up to 300 km. All of the vehicles mentioned share a single criteria: they are sustainable and efficient in transportation.
The main objective on this journey is to highlight the vehicles’ positive effect on climate change, which results in a reduction in greenhouse effects and on the pollution brought by particular materials that contaminate our air and generate respiratory diseases; they also bring about positive effects upon the economy.
The electric car is much more efficient than an internal-combustion engine, with an efficiency of 90% as opposed to the 30% offered by fossil fuels. In this sense, we highlight the efficiency of the Zoe car, which has a battery that can hold 40 kWh of electricity, allowing it to travel 300-320 km in urban conditions. As such, it shows an efficiency that is much higher than a vehicle with similar characteristics and a combustion engine.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that the two electric cars do not need maintenance that is complex as that of a combustion engine, as there are less pieces.
In the leg through San Juan they were received by Dr. Victor Doña, President of EPSE, who met them at the Eduardo Copello race track. The meeting served as a meeting point and a moment of rest for the expeditioners. The drivers there explained that they were not participating in the event only to experience the mystic beauty of the drive, but also to give a chance to demonstrate the possibility of sustainable travel in a place like Argentina.
Jorge Chica, the Secretary of Sports, prepared things so that the race track was open and available for a few hours so that the participants could take their vehicles on it. The act was infinitely appreciated.
A French TV team professional accompanied the event with fixed cameras, small vehicles and drones into order to film the scene in Zonda with the advanced technology of the electric vehicles.
After exchanging ideas and experiences, the president of EPSE accepted the invitation to drive one of the vehicles, a Tesla S85.
HIGHLIGHTS
Even though there are electric cars in our country, the necessary infrastructure still remains to be present, at least with regards to charging stations. The participating vehicles were charged at night using energy straight from the public grid. This is to say that Argentina is not far from this reality, as its electrical potential has demonstrated that it is ready for this challenge. It is only a question of generating the adequate infrastructure for installing charging stations.
The National Ministry of Energy and Mining, by means of its Planning Office, has simulated the introduction of electric vehicles in the country through several scenarios up to the year 2030. It is estimated that at that time Argentina will consist of 1.5% electric vehicles.