Retiree to Circle Australia on Electric Bike Amid Fuel Crisis

Ed Darmanin didn't plan to make history when he bought a BMW adventure bike for his dream trip around Australia. But when fuel shortages hit the outback and gas stations started running dry, the retired Sydney engineer realized his electric motorcycle was suddenly the safer bet.

On June 24, Darmanin departs on the first electric motorcycle circumnavigation of mainland Australia. The 18,000 km journey will take him through every state and territory over three months, arriving home in time for his 67th birthday party in September.

The route includes remote stretches like the Kimberley, the Nullarbor, and Queensland's Gulf Country. His wife Sally joins him for two legs of the journey, and his son Evan rides along through Cape Tribulation to Mount Isa.

Australia is operating under a Level 2 fuel emergency because of Middle East conflicts disrupting supply chains. Remote gas stations now prioritize diesel for essential services, leaving motorcycle travelers potentially stranded for days waiting for tankers.

"The range anxiety had flipped from EV to petrol," Darmanin explains. His Energica Experia electric bike gets 180 km of highway range at full speed, or up to 300 km when he slows down on remote roads.

Planning the trip took dozens of iterations mapping every charging point across thousands of kilometers of outback. Darmanin personally called roadhouses and remote hotels to confirm power access, offering to pay for electricity used.

The biggest surprise? Most remote EV charging stations in Western Australia run purely on solar panels and batteries, with diesel generators only as backup that rarely runs. Two charging stations sit at rest areas in the middle of nowhere, not even attached to roadhouses.

Why This Inspires

Darmanin's journey shows how quickly our assumptions about technology can flip. Electric vehicles have long been dismissed for long-distance travel, especially through remote areas. But when traditional fuel systems face disruption, the supposedly "limited" option becomes the reliable one.

The retired engineer recently had his second cardiac stent fitted after doctors caught a blockage early. He mentions it not as a barrier but as motivation for not putting off adventures. "There is no guarantee of a later," he says.

His meticulous planning transforms what sounds like a risky adventure into a methodical expedition. Every charging stop, every backup plan, every leg measured against real-world conditions proves that electric adventure travel isn't just possible in 2026, it might be more practical than the gas-powered alternative.

The journey will be the longest electric motorcycle trip around Australia ever completed, powered mostly by sunshine in one of the sunniest countries on Earth.