Circumnavigating The Globe Solo On An Electric Motorcycle [Interview] – CleanTechnica

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Many years ago, when electric vehicles were almost non-existent on American interstates, highways, and streets, I attended some EV ride-and-drive events. They were quite helpful in getting people more comfortable with fully electric cars, not including hybrids.

Today, there are over 2 million all-electric vehicles in the US, and tens of millions in the world. Even though there has been considerable electric vehicle growth over the last fifteen years, there are still doubters, critics, and online trolls who don’t understand or appreciate EVs.

Demonstrating electric vehicle effectiveness and benefits may be just as helpful today. To that end, Roman Nedielka rode his all-electric motorcycle around the world. Just to be clear, all-electric does not include hybrids.

Mr. Nedielka started and ended his journey in Indonesia. He answered some questions about the global trip for CleanTechnica. (He also shared some details in his blog post.)

Why did you want to take such a long journey on an electric motorcycle?

I had been riding electric motorcycles in Indonesia for 5 years and found them more future-proof, providing a better experience, and being overall more fun. People still had outdated perceptions and I wanted to show that the capabilities of electric motorcycles are already at the level where even a ride round the world, completely solo, is possible. Circumnavigating the world on electric motorcycles proves the point of maturity of electric motorcycles the same as, for example, the circumnavigation of the world on an airplane proved the same for planes. For more on why I did the journey, watch this video:

What was the total number of miles you traveled?

I rode 42,000 km / 26,000 miles starting and ending in Jakarta, Indonesia, circumnavigating the globe. The map of the journey is here:

What kind of eclectic motorcycle did you ride, and was it just one?

Yes, I have used the same motorcycle across the entire journey, the stock version without any modification, model Zero DSR/X 2023. I rode the same brand in Indonesia before and was satisfied with the quality and maturity of their products. There is no transactional relationship between me and Zero, but I like them as a customer and even visited their factory in California when crossing the USA.

Were any repairs required on the journey, and if so, who did the repairs?

I did not have to do any maintenance except changing tires after 25,000 km, as well as brake pads and the belt. I did not have any problems with the bike even going through a variety of climates and terrains.

How far could you ride per charge on average?

This was subject to terrain and climate as well, in hot climates with flat terrain, e.g. in the Australian outback I made 300 km on one charge, in mountainous Tibet or cold USA which I was crossing in winter and snow I made about 230-250 km.

How did you find EV chargers that worked with your motorcycle? Were you able to find enough or did you ever run out of electricity?

About 85% of charging sessions were from a normal power plug, only about 15% of charging was from charging stations in Europe and US where infrastructure was prevalent. My motorcycle can charge from a standard power plug and such can be found with proper planning even in vast steppes of central Asia (railway service stations) or hot deserts of Australia (remote roadhouses). I never ran out of battery and charged in hotels/camps overnight and on the route in shops, restaurants, or even houses of kind strangers. Crossing Kazakhstan and the Australian Outback were the ultimate challenges and evidence of the electric motorcycle’s capabilities, I frequently rode 250 km+ long stretches of land without any civilization, power, or phone signal.

Where did you sleep when you were not riding?

I slept in locations where I could charge overnight, in hotels, roadhouses, or truck stops. In the morning I was fully charged and ready for another 350 km which was my daily average quota. It meant that I rode about 250 km on my charge from night and stopped somewhere on the way for 2h to charge a boost of about 100 km more.

How much did the whole journey cost, and what were the primary expenses?

I funded the entire project from my personal savings, the most costly were days I had to wait for my bike clearance between continents, for example in London, New York, Los Angeles, or Sydney, and because of logistical issues (my bike got lost on a flight from London to New York). I had to stay for weeks in these expensive locations.

What did you learn about traveling by electric motorcycle on your journey?

I already had 5 years experience of riding electric motorcycles so I have learned more about customs procedures and weather challenges than about the electric motorcycle itself. I proved the point that it is possible to completely solo ride an electric motorcycle around the whole world, meaning that people should not be afraid to use them for less extreme use cases, such as riding in cities or commuting.

While you were traveling, were strangers curious about your motorcycle and what you were doing on it?

I met amazing people in all sorts of places, I am a humble guy, but when they called me their hero I really felt that I was doing something extraordinary. Even police were super friendly and keen to know about my journey, I always had a few key points on hand on how I charge and what the bike can do. There are so many stories about people I met, and with many I keep in touch even professionally now. I did also some university visits talking to students, such as in Timor Leste, and several EV community rides in Australia and Indonesia.

Were there any dangers?

I have lived in many places during my professional career and I am used to optimal behaviors in challenging countries. I have not encountered any even remotely dangerous situations and met only amazing and friendly people.