If you happen to live in a small town west of the Rockies and see a small electric car with French license plates, don't panic. It's just Xavier and Antonin attempting to circumnavigate the earth in an electric Citroën.
The car of choice for the Electric Odyssey is a Citroën C-Zero, a rebadged Mitsubishi i-MiEV with a French accent and a range of between 70 and 90 miles. Engineers Xavier Degon and Antonin Guy are taking turns behind the wheel, and thanks to the relatively short range get to stop at small towns and big cities the world over to preach the EV gospel. The central tenet of that faith? "If a standard electric car can make a world tour, every single person is able to use it to go shopping."
We caught up with the team just outside of Nebraska, where they were planning the long journey over the Rockies. After beginning their journey in Strasbourg, France and crossing the Atlantic on a ship, they've been driving across the USA since March 7th. Since then, they've survived several traffic stops, inscrutable charging stations and days of eating high-calorie diner food -- so a few mountains shouldn't get in their way.
"Usually, if we are stopped somewhere, people around will come to ask us what is our car about," said Degon. "This situation did not happen so much in Europe." In addition to speaking at colleges, elementary schools and community events, the little car with the French registration has also twice attracted the attention of the local constabulary.
According to Degon, America seems just as ready for EVs as Europe. "People just need to know more about electric cars," he said. "Of course, these kind of cars cannot be used for any kind of use. They are only made for short range rides."
That's why they're circling the world in 70 mile intervals. Most nights, Degon and Guy have relied on supporters and strangers alike to keep their car charged, plugging in at motels, gas stations, fast food restaurants, government offices, farms and the private homes of "pluggers" -- folks who are following their trip and have pledged their support in advance.
By traveling on rural routes, they've also demonstrated what life would be like for a small-town early EV adopter, searching for outlets and waiting for charges. Even in Elk Horn, IA -- home to four established EV charging stations -- the team had trouble finding someone who could help them plug in.
But the hardest part of the trip is expected to begin once the Citroën arrives in Asia. "The first obstacle will be the language," Degon said. "We don't speak any Asian language and as we go mainly in small towns, we reckon they will probably not speak either English or French." If they can't find someone to talk to, the team is planning on using sign language to find places to plug in.
They're also concerned about the potentially poor quality of rural roads that may be too much for a small electric car to handle. In small towns in southern Kazakhstan, there's probably nobody to help repair an EV, so the two will have to do it themselves.
"A few months before the departure, we had some trainings to learn more about the car and to improve our driving in extreme conditions," Degon said. "So we would be able to help mechanics fix a breakdown if necessary."
Photo: Electric Odyssey
