In Australia, engineer covers 18,000 km on an electric motorcycle — ABC News Australia

Ed Darmanin, a 67-year-old retiree and electrical engineer from Sydney, is nearing the end of an 18,000-kilometre journey around Australia on an electric motorcycle. He set off from Sydney on 24 June, travelling counterclockwise and visiting all states and territories of the mainland part of the country, ABC News Australia reports.

Darmanin is currently travelling through the Gippsland region in southeastern Victoria, from Frankston to Lakes Entrance, before returning to Sydney. According to ABC News Australia, he is considered the first person to circumnavigate mainland Australia on an electric motorcycle.

Route and charging

The traveller described planning the stretches between charging stations as the most difficult part of the journey. He rides an Energica Experia motorcycle and uses DC fast chargers that are also intended for electric cars.

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Darmanin explained that it is impossible to take a spare battery for this type of transport because it is built into the motorcycle's structure. According to him, at a speed of about 100 km/h on a flat road with luggage, the range is approximately 160 km, while some stretches reached 260–300 km.

Impact of speed and weather

To cover long stretches, Darmanin sometimes had to reduce his speed. He noted that travelling at 110 km/h requires approximately twice as much energy as at 75 km/h. In some areas, the distance to the first roadside service stop was 260 km, with no other services along the way.

Strong headwinds on the Nullarbor Plain forced the traveller to postpone crossing it for two days. He covered part of the route with his wife Sally and son Evan, and the rest on his own. Darmanin had previously crossed Australia on an electric motorcycle and made a trip from Sydney to Darwin via Birdsville.