Slovakian Daredevil Completes First Ever Solo Round-the-World Trip on an E-Motorcycle

Roman Nedielka, a Slovakian man who strongly believes the future of mobility is electric and set on a mission to single-handedly prove the capabilities of electric vehicles, has just completed a round-the-world trip on an electric motorcycle.

Last year, Nedielka embarked on a revolutionary 42,000-kilometer (26,000-mile) solo journey around the world riding an electric motorcycle hoping to shatter preconceived ideas about their range and capabilities. His aim was to prove the potential of the technology and make people more confident in trying e-motorcycles.

He started his journey on July 10, 2023, in Jakarta and completed it in May this year as part of the E.round the World project. For the last ten months, he rode a 2023 Zero DSR/X electric motorcycle around the world without any help from external support vehicles or crew, becoming the first person ever to complete a completely solo journey of this kind.

Nedielka first bought an electric bike, a Zero FX, in 2018 when he was living and working in Jakarta, a city famous for its traffic congestion. The idea of riding an e-motorbike across the globe came to him around 2019, but his plan got delayed due to the pandemic and the borders being closed.

He was finally able to start the journey in 2023, when the last country on his route opened its borders (China). Though he originally planned to use the ZERO FX for the challenge, he eventually settle on the newer Zero DSR/X model, which was the torquiest production motorcycle on sale in 2023, with a peak torque of 225 Nm (166 lb-ft).

The 47-year-old daredevil traversed South-East Asia's forests in the rainy season, then powered through Kazakhstan's vast deserts, crossed Europe, and arrinved in the United States in winter where he and his bike endured freezing temperatures. The last leg of his journey was to Australia, where the temperatures soared to a scorching 45°C/133°F.

According to Nedielka, his bike could cover 300 km (186-mile) stretches on one charge in ideal conditions. The easiest part of the journey was crossing Europe, thanks to the excellent charging infrastructure, which allowed him to charge faster and cover even 500 km (310 miles) per day. He stresses the importance of good planning to avoid getting stranded with nowhere to recharge and says he never ran out of battery during the trip thanks to his thorough research and well-thought-out route.

Moreover, despite harsh natural conditions, the motorcycle encountered no problems throughout the journey. Since he also had to cross seas and oceans during his journey, obviously the bike had to be shipped to the next location, so it spent weeks in crates in humid conditions or strapped to a boat or ferry. Despite all this, he only had to change the tires, belt, and brake pads after about 25,000 km (15,500 miles). The greatest challenges he encountered were related to bureaucratic procedures at border crossings.

"People have these old perceptions that it's very difficult to charge, and what is the range, and is it reliable?" Nedielka said in an interview. "I've been riding for months, and I have never run out of battery. If you can ride an electric bike around the world, don't worry [about] riding it in your city or going for a weekend ride with your friends."

Roman Nedielka has become the first person to circumnavigate the Earth completely alone on an electric motorcycle. He saw his neveavor as a "practical demonstration [that] would showcase the maturity of electric motorcycles." And he decided to complete the journey solo, with no sponsors, no team, and no content monetization, in order to be as authentic as possible and "prove the ease of use and reliability of electric motorcycles."