The Guy Who Travelled Without Money Has Finished His Electric Car Trip After 1 Lakh Plus Km
Wiebe Wakker travelled around the world in his electric car to prove the viability of the zero-emission vehicles. Wakker managed to run a blog while travelling through which he informed his followers of his journey Titled the &lsquoPlug Me In&rsquo project Wakker's journey was made possible by an electric Volkswagen nicknamed The Blue Bandit. What started from Netherlands back in March 2016 has now concluded in New Zealand
Remember Wiebe Wakker, the guy who wanted to put across a message through his adventures? We had earlier mentioned the mission he was on, travelling around the world in his electric car to prove the viability of the zero-emission vehicles. Now, it seems Wakker has finally concluded his adventures with a whopping 1 lakh plus km piled up on his trip-meter.
It took Wakker a little more than three years and a total distance of 101,000 km kilometres (62,800 miles) to deliver the message to the world. What started from Netherlands back in March 2016 has now concluded in New Zealand. In the midst, Wakker travelled through a total of 30 countries in his electric car, countries in eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and the likes of Iran, India, Australia all the way across to New Zealand.
Wakker managed to run a blog while travelling, through which he informed his followers of his journey. Titled the ¡®Plug Me In¡¯ project, Wakker¡¯s journey was made possible by an electric Volkswagen nicknamed, "The Blue Bandit."
His idea was to traverse across continents in an electric car to spread the word about electric vehicles and help in boosting the transition to a zero-emission future.
¡°A purpose-driven adventure with the aim to inspire, educate and accelerate the transition to a zero carbon future,¡± mentions the website.
A still from Wakker
Interestingly, Wakker had pre-decided to up the ante on this trip, by not carrying any of his own money. So essentially, Wakker was totally dependent on strangers for support, monetary or otherwise, throughout the trip.
Wakker accepted help from strangers in any of three ways: food, accommodation or a charging point for his electric car. In addition, he was able to raise $22,618 (around Rs 15 lakh) by doing odd jobs throughout his journey, all of which was spent on car repairs and shipping logistics.
Wakker even let his benefactors decide the course for him. Having left the Netherlands in the electric car on March 15, 2016, he had only decided upon Sydney as the destination of his adventurous trip. The path that he was to take was yet unknown to him. So very conveniently (and bravely) Wakker left the choice on to his well wishers.
And help poured in from all corners, with Wakker mentioning strangers from Norway to Iran, Myanmar to the United Arab Emirates and even India coming to his aide. He was even helped for his car¡¯s repairs through crowdfunding of up to Rs 3.89 lakh, after some mishaps were encountered in his journey in India and Indonesia.
(Image: Plug Me In/ Facebook)
Also read: Delhi-Mumbai Expressway To Have A 10 Km 'Electric' Stretch To Power E-Buses, Trucks On The Go
Wakker¡¯s point!
What Wakker has managed to do with his road trip in an electric car is unarguably a one-off achievement. While the stories of his journeys must be long and fun, the reason why the drive was conducted in the first place will stand as a testimony to electric cars worldwide.
While the auto industry is steadily moving towards an electric future, several potential buyers are still divided on the topic, mostly based on the practicality of these cars. Range anxiety raises a big question here for instance, coupled with the lack of a widespread charging network.
Wakker, however, with his drive, has proved that such dilemmas can easily be ruled out. If one man can traverse across 30 countries in an electric car, people can certainly drive one in their own.
