La Croisière Verte Has Arrived in Cape Town

100 years after André Citroën’s Croisière Noire, the Croisière Verte has successfully crossed the African continent, this time in four ë-Ami 100% electric vehicles.

We first mentioned the expedition in Citroënvie back on October 19, 2024.

The team led by Éric Vigouroux, former rally driver and organizer of the Croisière Verte, departed Ouarzazate on October 28 and arrived in Cape Town on February 28.

The ë-Ami vehicles underwent several technical modifications for the trip; the standard 6 kWh battery was replaced with a larger battery pack, increasing the range from 70 km (43.5 miles) to 250+ km (155+ miles). Motors were added to the rear wheels for additional traction and narrow tires fitted. The suspension and frame of each ë-Ami was modified to provide greater ground clearance. Solar panels were added to the roofs and additional solar panels arrays stored in foldable packs were transported in the ë-Amis.

The plan was to drive about 250 km a day at 45km/h in two shifts — one starting early morning and the other late afternoon, with charging stops during peak sunlight hours. This proved a successful strategy with the vehicles able to cover as much as 572 KM (355 miles) on a single charge!

The only technical problem experienced throughout the trip was a bent suspension arm due to a pothole encountered in Senegal. The arm was able to be repaired at local locksmith shop.

You can view the expedition’s progress on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559079426516&sk=photos.

Eric was interviewed on France 24 on March 2. (If you don’t understand French, turn subtitle captioning on and view the English translation.)