Antarctica’s Only EV Gets Redesigned To Move With Rising Temperatures

Antarctica is home to some of the most frigid temperatures known to man. The subzero winters have forced explorers and their gear to be ramped up to face the glacial landscape. Alas, one electric vehicle is receiving a downgrade of sorts, no thanks to the warmer climate at the South Pole.
 
Automotive manufacturer Venturi first sent the ‘Antarctica’ vehicle, standing 7.2 feet tall and is 11.4 long, and 6.6 feet wide, to Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station in December 2021. Most notably, it could withstand temperatures as low as −58°F.
 
This cubic-shaped vehicle can house up to six passengers and equipment. It came packaged with 80HP motors and a 52.6kWh battery that protected the environment. Its main power gets its electricity from the Princess Elisabeth Station’s wind and solar generators.

Unfortunately, winters in the South Pole are not what they used to be, with temperatures reaching a high of 14°F.
 
In order to ensure that the EV can accommodate the heat, a new ventilation system has been implemented to prevent the greenhouse-like interior from overheating its passengers in the “warm” weather. It also received additional cooling features, so the engine doesn’t roast under the sun’s rays.
 
The impact of global warming has now come to a point where, albeit minor, design changes must be made for machinery to withstand the heat, even when stationed in Antarctica.
 
 
 
[via Engadget and Ars Technica, images via Venturi]