Retiree travelling 18,000km around Australia on electric motorcycle
Ed Darmanin has spent the past three months riding an electric motorcycle around Australia, carefully calculating every kilometre between charging points.
Sydney man Ed Darmanin has ridden an electric motorcycle around mainland Australia, covering 18,000 kilometres. At 67 years old, he is believed to be the first person to complete this journey on an electric motorcycle. The retired electrical engineer spent five years on similar electric motorcycle adventures, including being the first to cross Australia by this means and riding from Sydney to Darwin via Birdsville.
His latest endeavor began on June 24, 2022, traveling anti-clockwise around the country on his Energica Experia. He completed parts of the journey with his wife Sally and son Evan, while completing the remaining parts alone. The primary challenge for Darmanin was ensuring the motorcycle had enough energy to cover each leg, as he couldn't carry spare batteries or large batteries.
Planning was crucial, as he had to consider available DC fast chargers, which can be used by electric vehicles. The motorcycle's range was affected by speed, with the battery providing around 160km at 100km/h, while longer stretches of 260km or even 300km were encountered. Darmanin said slowing down to a speed of 110km/h could significantly reduce energy usage.
The final leg of his journey from Frankston to Lakes Entrance in Gippsland, Australia, was nearing completion as he approached the end of his 18,000-kilometre adventure.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
