If ever there was a situation that could strain the idea of range anxiety, Nissan is planning to take one of its new Ariya battery-electric vehicles on a 17,000-mile adventure from the North to South poles next year that also will test the ability to use battery power in extreme weather conditions.

The trip will be led by British adventurer Chris Ramsey and will start next March at the magnetic North Pole before winding down through North, Central and South America, eventually winding up in Antarctica.

Along the way, Ramsey is expected to face everything from glaciers to rain forests, mountains to deserts, with temperatures rising above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and falling below -20.

An all-electric adventurer

“Our mission is to show that electric vehicles can tackle the harshest of environments — from the bitter cold of the poles to the hot and humid jungles of South America and illustrate that they are exhilarating to drive whilst meeting the daily demands of drivers around the world,” said Ramsey. “It’s fantastic to see such an important and innovative global brand partner with our expedition.”

Ramsey, who will be 57 when he sets off on his pole-to-pole journey, has already made a name for himself pushing EVs to the extreme. He was the first to drive a battery-electric vehicle in the 10,000-mile Mongol Rally and holds the world record for traveling the furthest on an electric bike in 12 hours — clocking 180.75 miles. His ties to Nissan began in 2015 when he and his wife completed a 1,652-mile run in a short-range Nissan Leaf while only using public chargers.

Some upgrades

He’ll get significantly more assistance on the pole-to-pole journey. His Nissan Ariya e-4ORCE will feature a number of modifications to help it survive some of the extreme conditions it’s expected to face.

These include more rugged tires and wheels, along with upgrades to the SUV’s suspension. The exterior will feature flared fenders, underbody protection and special lighting.

But the drivetrain will be stock, according to Nissan, with a dual-motor e-4ORCE all-wheel-drive system making 389 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. Normally outfitted, the Ariya makes an EPA-estimated 300 miles per charge in front-wheel-drive trim using an 87 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, 265 miles in all-wheel drive. With all the modifications impacting its aerodynamics, Ramsey’s BEV should get less range — especially when navigating some of the road — and off-road — conditions it will meet along the way.

Nissan plans to provide support — including charging — along the way. A conventionally equipped Ariya will provide support while driving through the Americas, the automaker said.

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“The all-new, all-electric Ariya crossover SUV enables you to go further, easier and in comfort,” Nissan Executive Vice President Asako Hoshino, global head of marketing and sales, said in a statement. “And with e-4ORCE control technology providing enhanced stability and traction on a variety of surfaces, we know it will be the perfect partner for Chris and his team on their challenging all-electric journey.”

The Pole-to-Pole project will launch just months after Nissan finally brings the Ariya to market. It was originally expected to reach U.S. showrooms early this year but has been delayed several times due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage. The electric SUV is now schedule to go on sale this autumn at a starting price of $45,950.

(Early buyers will qualify for up to $7,500 in federal tax credits, but Nissan is approaching the point at which those incentives will begin phasing out. That’s because it is nearing 200,000 sales of the Leaf, its first all-electric model, which debuted in 2011. Under federal guidelines, the credits will be cut in half and then quartered, before being eliminated entirely. Several automakers, starting with Tesla, have either lost the federal incentives or have begun seeing them phase out.)

While it was an early pioneer in electrification, Nissan has fallen behind rivals like Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford and, of course, Tesla. But the Japanese automaker hopes to catch up in the coming years. Last November it announced it will invest 2 trillion yen, or nearly $18 billion, to electrify its line-up, with plans to bring 23 electrified vehicles to market by 2030, including 15 all-electric models.

Pushing the e-limits

Nissan isn’t the only one looking to show off the capabilities of electric propulsion. Hybrid and battery-electric models have become commonplace on some harsh circuits, including the annual Pike’s Peak hill climb. And the all-electric Formula-E series has gained an increasing following while spinning off the even more radical Extreme E series that is moving among some harsh global locales.

Racing circuits aren’t the only place where drivers are pushing the limits with electric vehicles. International adventure drive Rainer Zietlow recently took a Volkswagen ID.4 GTX to the top of the dormant stratovolcano Cerro Uturuncu in Bolivia.

The run set a new Guinness World Record for the highest altitude achieved in an all-electric passenger vehicle.

“Our aim was to demonstrate that electromobility can perform well even at extreme altitudes,” said Zietlow, who now holds five Guinness World Records.