UK climate expert to drive 70-year-old electric Land Rover around the world
News · Classic Car conversions
Tesla-powered Series 1 aims to be first electric classic car to complete 18,000-mile circumnavigation
MA
Matt Allan
11 September 2026 · 3 min read
A UK climate specialist is attempting to drive around the world in an electrified classic Land Rover.
Dr Ed Barsley is bidding to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe in an electric classic car at the wheel of his father’s 1955 Series 1, nicknamed Evie.
The environmental designer and climate resilience specialist plans to complete the 18,000-mile drive in honour of his dad, who died in 2024, and to prove that even a vehicle of Evie’s age can be adapted for a lower-carbon future without sacrificing the history, character or capability that made it worth preserving.
The 1955 Series 1 Land Rover has been converted from its original 2.0-litre petrol engine to a fully electric setup. A Tesla Model 3 motor drives the all-wheel-drive system, with energy delivered by a pair of 55kWh Fellten battery packs. Ed estimates that, in ideal conditions, these should provide up to 375 miles of range.
That long range will be vital in the around-the-globe effort, which will see Ed and Evie cross 20 countries and six continents, not all of which have the mature charging network of mainland Europe. The fully reversible EV conversion also features 70kW DC charging capability along with slower AC options to take advantage of whatever charging is available.
Ed commented: “This expedition is personal, pertinent and I believe possible. Along the way, Evie and I will travel through landscapes already being shaped by climate risk and rapid change. I want to tell a wider story about resilience, not by discarding the past, but embracing how we can adapt it for the future.”
Evie has belonged to the Barsley family for more than 35 years and was built in the same year as the famous Oxford and Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition, which took two 86-inch Land Rovers from London to Singapore. Driving the 4×4 around the world was a long-held ambition of Ed’s father, John, and the pair were restoring the vehicle before John’s death in 2024. Ed will undertake the challenge in honour of his dad and as part of an effort to document how communities, infrastructure and landscapes are adapting to climate change, and examining how long-distance travel can reduce its own environmental impact.
The expedition, which is due to leave the RAC Club in London’s Pall Mall on March 22, 2027, will follow well-established circumnavigation benchmarks. These include driving at least 18,000 miles in one continuous general direction, crossings of the Equator and every meridian of longitude, reaching a pair of points on opposite sides of the Earth, and a return to the expedition’s starting point in London.
From England, Ed plans to travel through France and Spain to Morocco before sea transport takes him and Evie on to Brazil, from where he’ll head to Argentina and Chile; across the United States; through New Zealand and Australia; then Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and India; and home through Turkey, Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.
Ahead of setting off on the epic trek Ed and Evie will be appearing at the Everything Electric Greater London show this weekend (September 11-12) and Goodwood Revival (September 18-20).