Arkady Fiedler - an electric car and cable ties

Arkady Fiedler is the grandson of… Arkady Fiedler. From his famous grandfather he inherited the explorer's and traveller's gene. Arkady Fiedler senior, with 30 expeditions and journeys and 30 books to his name, set the direction of his descendant's interests. The younger Arkady's best-known achievement so far is crossing Africa from south to north in a tiny Fiat 126p. We talk to him about his next crazy expedition.

justKowalski: You have been to Africa several times already. Which trip will this be?

Arkady Fiedler: I have been to Africa 4 times. First I went to Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. I repeated those destinations with friends. Then I made my journey across Africa in the Maluch, as Poles call the Fiat 126p. I drove through the eastern part of the continent.

justKowalski: The journey you are planning now will be completely different, even though it is also by car…

AF: The car will be completely different, because I am switching from a classic to an electric. In my view electric cars are the future of motoring. That is the main difference, but the aim of the expedition is different too. Last time I wanted to make a television programme, and I managed to do so together with the film crew that came with me. This time the main goal is the journey itself. No electric car has ever crossed Africa. Up to now there have been long-distance drives in Tesla cars, but they went from the west coast to the east coast of the USA, and that drive had the safety net of many rapid chargers along the whole route. In the case of crossing Africa, being the pioneer is what matters most.

The Nissan LEAF and tyres for African roads

justKowalski: What car are you driving?

AF: It is a 2017 Nissan LEAF with a factory 30kWh battery. I have not made any modifications to the car; it is exactly as you would see it in the showroom. I am just wondering whether to take out the back seats to have more room for luggage. I am also planning to swap the alloy wheels for steel ones.

justKowalski: And the tyres?

AF: 80% of the time I will be driving on tarmac roads and 20% on gravel roads. I want low rolling resistance to get the greatest possible range, so I am not using off-road tyres. It was not an easy decision, but I decided to focus on using energy efficiently. The biggest challenge will be the stretches of muddy road, but I estimate they will not make up more than 5% of the whole route. I have cable ties with me (plastic fasteners made up of a head with a ratchet and a toothed strap), which will temporarily improve the grip of the tread. There are also a few other off-road tricks I know and intend to use.

The route from South Africa to Morocco

justKowalski: How many countries will the expedition route pass through?

AF: My aim is to visit as many African countries as possible, and I have 4 months to complete the expedition. The biggest limitation is the availability of charging points: sometimes there is electricity, sometimes there is not, sometimes I will have to wait for it. Setting off from South Africa, I will definitely drive through Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and finally Morocco. If the journey goes smoothly, I would like to increase the number of countries; I would very much like to visit Guinea too, because my grandfather wrote a book about Guinea. I would like to see with my own eyes the places he described. Unfortunately, the infrastructure in Guinea leaves a lot to be desired and travelling through the country would be very slow; I do not know whether I can afford a week there.

justKowalski: Which of the countries you mentioned will be easy to drive through, and where might there be problems?

AF: Travelling will be easiest in South Africa, where a day's stage can be as long as 260 km, whereas on average I will cover about 150 km a day, and the whole route is 15,000 km long. The large number of petrol stations will guarantee access to electricity every few dozen kilometres. I know Namibia very well, and it does not worry me either, even though it is a country of incredible wilderness, such as the Namib Desert. In Angola, the third country on the route, problems may begin. The country is developing and the infrastructure is getting better. What I am afraid of, though, is that sockets may not be earthed, which would make charging impossible. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Congo are where we will face big challenges, as there will be about 1200 km of difficult off-road tracks to cover. Along the way we will pass human settlements, but they will be small villages in the bush, so there may not always be mains electricity. My car does not accept power from a generator, but thanks to one of my sponsors I have a special adapter that will stabilise the current and smooth out fluctuations in charging, so I can be sure the electricity will not harm the car. Gabon, Cameroon and Nigeria should be OK. In Burkina Faso I am driving between the main cities, so I should manage, and the same goes for Senegal, although the stretches there are longer. Mauritania and Western Sahara (a disputed territory controlled by Morocco) are desert.

justKowalski: Based on your experience, which of these countries would you recommend to a traveller who wants to get to know sub-Saharan Africa?

AF: Namibia. It is a beautiful country, incredible. Africa in miniature. Gigantic open spaces, real African bush, picture-postcard savannah. People still live according to the old ways. And then there is the green, tropical part of Namibia.

justKowalski: How can people follow the expedition?

AF: Visit my Facebook profile (Arkady Fiedler po drodze) and my gallery on Instagram.

You will also find other articles about cars with alternative drives on my blog (click the links):

- a test of the hybrid MINI
- a tour of Scotland in an electric BMW i3