How far can you drive without making use of gas? A Dutchman has answered this question by driving his electric car from his hometown to Australia. Wiebe Wakker is 32 years old and says, ‘In 687 days, I saw 31 countries and drove 60,000 km without visiting a gas station.’
Wiebe Wakker started off from the Netherlands in his car called Blue Bandit. He had no money and relied on the people that he met on the way for food, shelter, and electricity for his vehicle. The quest he has been on has been named as Plug Me In. The quest has become a famous platform for sustainability and electric cars.
Wiebe Wakker says, ‘I believe everyone can contribute to a more sustainable world. I try to do my part by showing the possibilities of sustainable mobility.’ According to a report by the World Economic Forum’s Electric Vehicles for Smarter Cities that is focused on environmental and economic benefits of adoption of electric vehicles, ‘The focus should be on electrifying the vehicles with the highest use rates, such as public transport or mobility-as-a-service fleets. This approach also helps to avoid the main barriers to adoption by individual customers – concerns about vehicle range and charging – and long vehicle-replacement cycles.’
The quest of Wiebe Wakker will also help address some of the barriers that are faced by EV owners by highlighting the advantages and the capabilities that the technology has to offer. Despite the electric cars becoming more and more affordable, concerns regarding the battery life and the availability of chargers are quite well-seated among the potential users.
Wiebe Wakker while talking about the end of Plug Me In project has said, ‘The feeling I had this day was insane. I want to thank everyone who came down and made it a success.’ What do you think of this amazing quest undertaken by Wiebe Wakker?
