Introduction and some EV Overlanding trip reports

[Bobu]

I have just finished part 4 of my Iceland trip report:

https://ev-overlanding.com/2022/01/24/audi-e-tron-in-iceland-4-kaldidalur-and-f578/

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[thrill]

Lovely cinematography and music selections.

 

[RideAlong]

euro sized

 

[Bobu]

euro sized

In Europe the e-tron is seen as a large vehicle, too large my many. In the U.S. probably not. For Iceland a car like the Rivian or F150 would be no problem. There were many Unimogs, modified Sprinter, and even a couple of MAN trucks on these tracks.
But if you want to explore for example the old military tracks of WW1 in the Alps, you need a small car. A Rivian would probably still work, but a Hummer EV could be too large for some sections.

 

[Bobu]

Part 5 is now online. We drove from Vik i Myrdal on the South Coast of Iceland to the beautiful Þakgil valley and along the F206 to the Laki fissure.



https://ev-overlanding.com/2022/02/04/audi-e-tron-in-iceland-5-thakgil-and-f206-lakagigar/

Here are some impressions:

 

[crashmtb]

I’m inspired!

I’m going to drive my R1T to Reykjavik sometime. It’s not so far.

 

[Bobu]

I fear it's not that easy , but Canada should also have some really great tracks for your Rivian. And maybe someday there will be a ferry from Halifax to Iceland. Would be great for us too.

 

[crashmtb]

I fear it's not that easy , but Canada should also have some really great tracks for your Rivian. And maybe someday there will be a ferry from Halifax to Iceland. Would be great for us too.

It’s very easy! Look at my map! ?

Used to be able to fly from Winnipeg to KEF direct for €300 return.. I regret not doing that in 2010 when it was an option. Many many Icelanders here.

 

[Bobu]

This is the final part of my trip report:

https://ev-overlanding.com/2022/02/11/audi-e-tron-in-iceland-6-f232-to-maelifell/

And here is the final episode of my video series:





We drove along the F232 to Maelifell. It was one of the most beautiful tracks in Iceland. After a quick visit of Vestrahorn, our trip finally came to an end and we had to take the ferry back to Denmark.

The Audi e-tron behaved flawlessly during the trip. Last time I was in Iceland I used a modified Nissan Patrol. It's quite fascinating how far you can get with an EV with just some additional planning and the right tires (Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac). I could drive nearly 90% of the tracks I had done in the past with the Patrol. The limiting factor was mainly the wading depth limit of the e-tron for certain tracks.
I think Iceland would be the perfect place for some Rivian adventures: fantastic offroad tracks, spectacular nature, countless of very deep fords to cross, good charging infrastructure along the ring road, and not too long tracks to get range problems (max. about 300-400km).

 

[mgc0216]

My word, how blessed are you to live in that part of the world! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Bobu]

My word, how blessed are you to live in that part of the world! Thanks for sharing.

The grass is always greener on the other side.
Just a couple of days ago I was thinking how great it must be to live in North America and be able to easily drive up to Alaska or down to South America along the Pan-American highway.

 

[Rlorenzoa]

Boris,

Welcome to the The Forums. I'm intrigued by your story and looking forward to checking out your videos when I'm back home. I'm also hoping to hear more of your perspective of Rivian from a European point of view.

Thanks for providing the links and for jumping into the pool with us!

that’s exactly my fear. Right now I use a discovery from 1999 for my trips and I would like to change it for the rivian R1S. But I don’t see how they will do it to sell it here in Europe. The car is very heavy and very few people will accept the trade off (or be in position to accept it - having the additional license). And for these few I don’t think they will develop a large dealer and maintenance network.

I’m afraid we will need to wait for something smaller.

I wrote to Rivian suggesting they negotiate a waiver to 4 tones for evs, but the only answer I got was that details on European launch will be shared in a near future…

not encouraging

 

[Bobu]

that’s exactly my fear. Right now I use a discovery from 1999 for my trips and I would like to change it for the rivian R1S. But I don’t see how they will do it to sell it here in Europe. The car is very heavy and very few people will accept the trade off (or be in position to accept it - having the additional license). And for these few I don’t think they will develop a large dealer and maintenance network.

I’m afraid we will need to wait for something smaller.

I wrote to Rivian suggesting they negotiate a waiver to 4 tones for evs, but the only answer I got was that details on European launch will be shared in a near future…

not encouraging

I'm sure there will be better and lighter alternatives in the future. But probably not in the next 3-4 years. I'm afraid we have to be patient in Europe.

 

[Rlorenzoa]

I'm sure there will be better and lighter alternatives in the future. But probably not in the next 3-4 years. I'm afraid we have to be patient in Europe.

Yes…

let’s seehow Land Rover deals with the weight in their Range Rover and defender ev versions. I’m afraid the only way we can have big overlanding SUVs in Europe is by placing smaller batteries at the expense of range. That or wait 10 sor solid state batteries

?

 

[Bobu]

I think if you build a car slightly smaller than the Rivian (size of a Ford Ranger or Landrover Defender), use as much as possible lightweight materials and reduce some not really necessary gimmicks a maximum GVM of 3500kg should be possible even with a large battery pack and sufficient payload. And even with the current battery technology.

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