Green Cruise: 100 years after the Black Cruise, the astonishing challenge of Éric Vigouroux

The thing about an adventure is that you know when you're leaving, but not necessarily when you're arriving. The journey that Éric Vigouroux has embarked on perfectly respects this precept. The former driver set off from Paris on October 28th for Cape Town (South Africa), in the company of four other daring people in a prepared Citroën Ami. Without really knowing exactly when he'll see Cape Town. We hope to be there around mid-January 2025. ", at the same time as the arrival of the Dakar. Precisely, it is this event which allowed him to experience many emotions on African soil, and which earned him several appearances in our columns between 2001 and 2013.

The one who spent his entire career in rally-raid aboard Chevrolet Protrucks or a Hummer is part of this generation brought up on the exploits of amateur motorcyclists and drivers of the first Paris-Dakar. He had just enough time to experience the last African editions, before attempting the South American adaptation, without the graft taking. About ten years ago, after returning to the Dakar so often, I had lost the flame, he agrees. I had loved discovering South America in 2009, but I still had the feeling of having lost something since leaving Africa. And then I had gotten older, and the world had changed. It was now a question of climate change. I have four children who have bombarded me with questions about the ecological virtues of my sport… "Of course, it makes you think when the big circus visits remote regions with a completely different standard of living. So, he puts his life as a driver on hold. Despite everything, the winner of the 2012 Morocco Rally does not want to abandon the wide open spaces forever." When I stopped rally-raid, I told my best friend in the industry, my navigator at the time Alex Winocq, that our story was not going to end like this. Something would happen, I just didn't know what yet! Deep down, I had this desire to go on a big trip to Africa, but with relevance »

The thought takes time to materialize. A lot, even. While reviewing his in-laws' library in the summer of 2022, Éric Vigouroux came across an old book centered on the adventure of the Black Cruise. It was the trigger. From page to page, I became passionate about this story. I realized that well before the Paris-Dakar, Citroën had organized an expedition that crossed Africa from north to south. During these eight months of expedition, they took on incredible challenges, they experienced unheard-of things. » Very curious, the reader becomes a researcher. « I discovered that my grandfather had worked in the André Citroën branch in Lyon, in 1929! » For this son of a Citroën dealer in Puy-en-Velay (Haute-Loire), the signs were too numerous to ignore. As the Croisière Noire had been carried out from October 28, 1924 to June 26, 1925, Éric Vigouroux did his calculations. What if his great adventure paid tribute to this expedition on the occasion of its centenary? But a modern twist, a touch of originality, which we could call "the Vigouroux touch". He who took imposing pick-ups with big American V8 engines to the Dakar, he chose a 100% electric expedition. We are going through a period where we are completely changing technology. We are moving from thermal engines to electric engines. This is the opportunity, 100 years after André Citroën, to demonstrate that the technologies of our time are the future of tomorrow's mobility. »

A Little Modified Friend

The concept is there; you still have to find the vehicle. The first reflex is to look in the Citroën range for a suitable machine. Finally, the term is not quite accurate when Éric Vigouroux sets his sights on the Ami, the electric quadricycle that parents give to their high school or university child as a first "clean" car. From a marketing point of view, I find it interesting, because I wanted to use it against its usual use., says Vigouroux. And then it allows me to demonstrate that with little, you can achieve great things. The Ami is so light that we would need to take on board fewer batteries to move it. "Last crucial point, it is an easy vehicle to modify. Here, it is the friends of Vaison-Sport who worked." It is a small tubular chassis on which we can quite easily make reinforcements, improve the suspensions. We cannot change the rest, the bodywork and the original accessories that are there. » The only extravagance is that the 14-inch wheels have been swapped for 17-inch wheels in order to increase ground clearance and be a little more suitable for crossing the African bush. Inside, the seat comes from a Polaris SSV to ensure better comfort and support. The steering wheel is an authentic racing hoop with the main controls. The roof contains the solar panels and a kit to ensure the car's complete autonomy. This is increased to 250 km compared to 70 on the original version, a small feat considering the Lilliputian size of the Ami (2,41 m long, 1,39 m wide and 1,52 m high).

In order for the batteries to fit in the passenger compartment, however, the passenger seat had to be sacrificed. This is where a solar power plant is located, made up of 40 foldable and tiltable modules to capture the sun's rays. It only takes 15 minutes to deploy them. And you have to wait between 5 and 6 hours to ensure maximum autonomy. Along the way, this on-board solution will be supplemented by identified solar, hydroelectric and wind power plants that will also serve as charging points. "Like a Route du Rhum, the skippers know when they leave the port, they don't know when they'll reach the end. I compare my adventure exactly to that. Depending on the amount of sunshine we have, we'll progress more or less quickly, we'll be more or less behind or ahead." Eric is accompanied by his friend Alex Winocq (who will leave him to join Guerlain Chicherit to compete in the Dakar 2025), Antonia de Rossard (co-driver and expert in organizing traveling events) and Maarten van Pel (technical consultant). The latest news is that Eric and his gang are sailing on Moroccan territory. The real desert stages are already not far away.

14 000

The mileage expected by the Green Cruise. The goal is to cover the 14 kilometers in less than three months and we will try to maintain an average of 000 kilometers per day. " says Eric Vigouroux.