Antarctic crossing with Hyundai Santa Fe
HYUNDAI Patrick Bergel, the great-grandson of Antarctic pioneer Sir Ernest Shackleton, drove the approximately 5800 km from Union Camp to McMurdo and back. He completed the Antarctic crossing in an almost standard, only slightly modified Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 Diesel. Hyundai makes history. Patrick Bergel, great-grandson of the legendary polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, was the first person to [...]
Hyundai makes history. Patrick Bergel, great-grandson of the legendary polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, was the first person to cross the Antartkis in a passenger car, a Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 Diesel. During the 30-day expedition last December, he managed the first crossing of the coldest and driest continent on earth in a passenger car.
Extreme conditions
The journey, which took place in December 2016, was inspired by Sir Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition, which attempted to cross the southern continent under the most extreme conditions from 1914 to 1916. Hyundai has now summarized the adventurous journey of his great-grandson in a short film, which was premiered in London last week.
You can watch the video on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj4iCzJgZKY
Pioneering spirit revived
Scott Noh, Head of Hyundai Motor's Overseas Marketing Group: "We know the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and the passion with which he pursued his goal - and above all his crew. As a company and a brand, we were happy to identify with this courage and pioneering spirit."
Almost standard
A Hyundai Santa Fe was used as the vehicle for the 30-day Antarctic crossing expedition - with some modifications to meet the challenges of this special journey. For example, space had to be created for the enormously large wheels with their low-pressure tires. These were necessary in order to master the route on icy, snow-covered ground and in the most difficult meteorological conditions (temperatures down to minus 28 degrees Celsius). To achieve this, the body of the Santa Fe was raised and the chassis, suspension and suspension points were adapted. A wheel hub reduction in the wheels ensured that the forces were transferred to them synchronously, slowly and carefully. Some of the long distances had to be driven on floating ice floes. As there were no existing roadways, the team created new tracks on which no vehicle had ever driven before.
Vehicle with tires for the first time
Patrick Bergel, great-grandson of Sir Ernest Shackleton: "It was an incredible journey, but driving the Hyundai was really fun. Sometimes it no longer felt like driving. It was as if we were sailing over the snow. This was a real expedition with a task that no one had ever accomplished before. But the journey was not a question of speed. We only managed an average of 27 km/h. What counted was endurance. And the success lies above all in how we and our vehicle managed this. I don't presume to compare our performance with that of my great-grandfather. But the knowledge that we were the first people to make this journey in a vehicle with tires is something in itself."
Travel with aviation fuel
As a further adaptation, the capacity of the fuel tank had to be increased and the vehicle converted for use with Jet A-1. Aviation kerosene is the only fuel available in the Antarctic. Anyone who has experience with vehicles in the Antarctic also knows that basically anything and everything can break down. Even large machines break down or suddenly develop defects. This was the first time in history that the full crossing of the continent and the subsequent return were achieved without any failures.
