Sustainable adventurer | Project 'Plug Me In'
Sustainable adventurer Wiebe Wakker is known for his project "Plug Me In," in which he travels from the Netherlands to New Zealand in an electric car to share knowledge and inspire.
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Wiebe Wakker is a sustainable adventurer, known for his journey of over three and a half years in an electric car from the Netherlands to New Zealand. With his project “Plug Me In,” Wiebe wanted to impart knowledge, inspire people and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future.
Wiebe’s dream began as a graduation project at the Utrecht School of the Arts and turned into a global adventure. Starting with no money and with only an electric car, a camera and some clothes, Wiebe wanted to reach the other side of the world. People were able to support him by offering him a meal, a place to sleep or electricity for the car. Thousands of people signed up and so the route of the trip was determined: from Houten to Italy, then up again to the North Cape to turn around from there and then via Eastern Europe, the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia to reach Australia. In the end, Wiebe crisscrossed 34 countries and covered 100,450 km in 1,222 days.
World-wise
In all the countries where Wiebe ended up, he visited sustainable initiatives that he reported on social media. Wiebe knows better than anyone else what is happening in different parts of the world in terms of renewable energy, food-waste and social enterprises.
Needless to say, many challenges crossed his path. In India, the charger of his electric Blue Bandit exploded and in Indonesia he was finally stranded when his battery filled up with water. But everywhere Wiebe drove he was offered help from locals and his online community. In Dubai Wiebe stayed with wealthy sheikhs, in Malaysia he had lunch with a famous prince and in Indonesia he became a real celebrity who even appeared in the tabloids.
Longest trip ever in an EV
After 1,119 days, 33 countries and 95,000 km, Wiebe reached his final destination Sydney, making it the longest journey ever in an electric car. This milestone became world news, among others CNN, BBC, NOS and news bulletins in 40 different countries paid attention to the accomplishment of this special journey. Wiebe thus reached one billion people.
All this attention caused fans from New Zealand to raise money to take Wiebe and his car there, and so Wiebe reached the southernmost point on that side of the world after more than 3.5 years of driving.
Working together is the key
Now that Wiebe has returned from his trip, he shares his experiences and lessons. For example, he tells companies how they can use earned media and social media to reach a mega audience, he inspires audiences by enthusiastically sharing how he was able to keep going despite challenges that would drive anyone to despair, and he has a motivational presentation about how he traveled the world by working together. He does this all based on situations he encountered during the journey, often with a comedic touch and always with a meaningful message.
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“Wiebe, your story inspires!”
Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars.
“What a beautiful story and presentation!”
Rated 4.3 out of 5 stars.
“After you have heard his story, you know that you can achieve your goals, even if they seem totally unattainable.”
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
“As an innovation centre in the creative industry, we are always looking for inspiration: Wiebe certainly gave us that.”
Rated 4.3 out of 5 stars.
“With his down-to-earth humorous comments on the visual spectacle, Wiebe knows how to captivate to the end.”
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars.
“Our staff came away more informed about EVs and inspired to live a little more sustainably in their own lives.”
Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars.
“This can inspire everyone in the field of sustainable mobility, the goodness of people and problem-solving!”
Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars.
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