In 1886, Karl Benz showed the world his new invention, the Motorwagen. For it to become a viable mode of transport it required infrastructure, but petrol stations and smooth roads weren't invented yet. It was a đŸ€&đŸ„šsituation. People considered it nothing more than a novelty.
The infrastructure for horses and carts existed and they could travel up to 90km a day. Karl Benz did not have the confidence to sell a single Motorwagen for 2 long years. He didn't think his car could travel further than across the town. O ye, of little faith.
One early morning in 1888, his wife Bertha secretly got out of the house with her two sons while Karl was sound asleep and pushed the Motorwagen away from the house to start an epic journey of 105km, on the infrastructure built for horses.
There were no petrol stations at the time. So she stopped at a pharmacy on the way at Weisloch where she purchased "Ligroin" to fuel the vehicle. This pharmacy became the world's first gas station.
The journey wasn't smooth. The motorwagen did break down and Bertha fixed it with her ingenuity. The engine didn't have enough power to go up the hill, and her sons would push it. They learnt the importance of controlling speed and braking when going downhill.
12 hours after starting their journey, they reached their destination, her parent's home. She sent Karl a telegram notifying of her arrival. 3 days later, she made the journey back using a different route of 90km. This route is called Bertha Benz Memorial Route.
She didn't make the journey to visit her parents, but to prove to her husband and the world that his invention was good enough for changing the world. It was a marketing move to get people talking. Get newspapers to write about this long journey on a cart without horses.
Today EVs face the same problem. People think EVs do not have the infrastructure. They think it can't go further than the city limits. There are companies who like Karl Benz lack the confidence to think that the new mode of transportation couldn't replace the existing ones.
However, there are several Berthas in the world who prove them wrong. Every EV that is even several 100 miles away from it's home is a testament to the fact that the journey can be done. That we do not need to wait for the infrastructure to start the changeover. Be the change.
Silke and Rolf of @TeslaXCanada have been driving their Model X with a Trailer in tow. Their epic journeys consist of cross Canada journey. US journeys from Maine to Florida to California to Washington. They have probably done more
@WiebeWkkr Wiebe Wakker drove 1222 days, 100450k m through 34 countries from the Netherlands to New Zealand in his electric 'Blue Bandit', a converted VW Golf station wagon.
@PoDrodze Arkady P. Fiedler became the first human to cross the continent of Africa in an Electric car. He drove a 30KwH Nissan Leaf from South Africa to Morrocco. That's 14 countries in 97 days, covering 15,176 km charging a 100 times.
@MarekKaminski the person to travel both the poles of the earth in the same year travelled 16000km from Poland to Japan in a Nissan Leaf.
Let us not forget Mr. Starman, who set off on the longest ever trip in an EV. Rumour has it he plans to cross the distance travelled by every single ICE vehicle since Bertha's epic journey and then some.
If you made it till here, a hat tip to every single electric car owner who have driven outside their city, state or country. Your presence out of your town makes people talk. Your trip is the marketing move that EVs need.

Feel free to add any other such journeys I missed.
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