Brokaw: McGregor, Boorman learn about electric vehicles with global ride
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"Long Way Up" is streaming now on Apple TV+.Known for his roles as Obi Wan Kenobi, Halston, Christopher Robin, Lumiere and much more, Ewan McGregor is also a known motorcycle enthusiast and adventurer. Actor and producer Charlie Boorman shares McGregor’s enthusiasm and in 2004 they filmed a 10-episode show traveling around the world on their motorcycles (“Long Way Round”).
They followed up in 2007 with “Long Way Down,” when they again rode their motorcycles from the north of Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa. In 2020, they completed the trilogy with “Long Way Up” by riding from the tip of South America to Los Angeles. All three shows are available to stream on Apple TV+.
“Long Way Up” is a little different from the other two because they decided to use electric motorcycles while their team followed in electric Rivian trucks. The electric motorcycles driven by Ewan and Charlie and the trucks were experimental proptypes during filming, though they’re on the market now.
The team thought they would promote how easy it is to go all electric, but they failed. They had a diesel truck along to help, as well as a gasoline-powered motorcycle for a cameraman. Rivian also installed electric recharging stations along their route.
Any motorcycle rider will tell you that the journey is more important than the destination, but this journey included quite a lot of stress as the bikes and trucks ran out of battery power several times along the way. Frequently, the crew worried they would not have enough power to make it to the next stop. Talk about stress.
It is interesting to see the locations they visited, but frustrating to know that trying to do it as eco-friendly as possible yielded new challenges. Yes, they made it, but worried frequently about how they would get from point A to point B.
While it was an interesting goal to travel on electricity, they missed the mark because they had vehicles along that were gas powered. In many places, they even had to rely on boats, planes and a bus to get through some dangerous territory.
“Long Way Up” is intriguing and Charlie Boorman is the comic relief. He is adorable and his comments are precious. It’s interesting to see the places they visited, but the show also enforces the fact that, although their intentions were good, they couldn’t sell the all-electric future as a realistic present option to viewers. While it was an interesting trip for the team and for viewers to watch, it was also not the most serene journey.
All three “Long Way” shows are available to stream on Apple TV+.
