In 2024, I became the first person to reach the person to reach the Arctic Ocean at Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, in an electric vehicle (aka Beluga). That milestone marked the official starting point of my Pan-American Highway journey: driving the entire length of the Americas. 

The Dempster Highway is one of only two roads in North America that crosses the Arctic Circle and terminates at the Arctic Ocean. By that point I had already driven to Alaska and learned what life is like far beyond any reliable charging network. On remote legs like the Dempster, every watt counts so I would switch off my 12v fridge and Starlink (both powered from high voltage battery) to preserve range. 

When we finally reached Tuktoyaktuk after 5 days of driving and charging, all the food in the fridge had spoiled and I had no communication with the outside world (which sometimes is peaceful) unless the car was parked and I set up the Starlink dish on the roof. During charging stops in Eagle Plains and Inuvik, I experimented with a portable 100 W solar panel to top ip my EcoFlow Delta 2 while parked. The problem was wind: the moment it gusted, the panel became useless.

Thats when I discovered MitoSolar, a Dutch company that builds high efficiency custom solar panels. Six months later, I was drilling holes in Belugas hood and permanently installing 250 watts of their panels in preparation for the solo expedition through Central and South America.