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Venturi, the expert in electric transport, has designed a zero-emission vehicle that can withstand temperatures as low as -50°C.

The Antarctica project is a bold one: providing the scientific community with its own means of transport enabling access and the movement of essential equipment to polar missions.

The project’s origins date back to 2009. On his return from a trip to Antarctica during which he visited 21 polar bases, Prince Albert II set Venturi Automobiles the challenge of developing an electric, non-polluting vehicle designed to cope with the extreme conditions found at the poles.

“Until now, researchers have had to get around on foot in some areas, in order to avoid polluting them,” explains Venturi President Gildo Pastor. “Now, with the Venturi Antarctica, they will have access to an efficient, very manoeuvrable vehicle with excellent traction. Scientists will be able to carry out their research under optimum conditions, without polluting these sites where analysis requires molecular precision.”

The Antarctica is an electric vehicle with wheel-mounted caterpillar tracks. Offering 2x60kW power and weighing in at around 2 tonnes, it can carry three people, as well as luggage and equipment. It has a range of approximately 50 kilometres and a speed of 25 kilometres per hour in realistic operating conditions.

© Venturi
Expedition Back to Telegraph Creek © Sarah Del Ben

Between 2013 and 2015 Venturi developed a prototype. Following initial trials, the manufacturer came up with a new version, incorporating the technology invented for its race cars which compete in the Formula E championship.

The first full-scale test took place on 6 March 2019 in British Columbia (Canada). The Antarctica covered 42 kilometres in extreme conditions with temperatures dropping as low as -30°C. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and President of Venturi North America Xavier Chevrin were at the controls for this expedition on Telegraph Creek Road, considered to be one of the most dangerous routes in the world.

The Back to Telegraph Creek expedition is one of the Venturi Global Challenges, missions organised by Venturi Automobiles to test the company’s electric vehicles in the most extreme conditions and most challenging terrains on the planet.

It follows in the footsteps of the Croisière Blanche, an expedition conceived in the early 1930s by French car manufacturer Citroën. That attempt to cross north-western Canada was not successful at the time due to disastrous weather conditions. Thanks to Venturi technology, the mission has now been accomplished.

© Venturi
Expedition Back to Telegraph Creek © Sarah Del Ben

The Venturi Antarctica will be a significant asset for improving our understanding of the polar regions, the first to be impacted by the effects of climate disruption.

H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Since 2021, the Venturi Antarctica is in service at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica station. This is a world first: never before has an electric vehicle with caterpillar tracks operated on the hostile White Continent. It has enabled several scientific missions to be carried out on the ground, including maintenance work on several automated weather observation stations, snow surface temperature measurements and satellite measurements validation. In addition, this new version of the Venturi Antarctica enabled a simulated emergency rescue to be carried out, based on the scenario of extracting someone from the bottom of a crevasse.

©Louis-Marie-Blondel
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