Jess Shanahan will drive the 2,580-mile Route 57 road trip, the first time the route has been driven in an electric car. She will stop at Wexford Town on 24 April as part of the journey from Plymouth to Galway, which runs from 6 to 26 April. The route visits 57 destinations across England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
At 16:00 on Sunday 24 April, the car and team will stop at The Bullring in Wexford Town to meet locals and capture images.
Jurys Inn Hotels designed Route 57 as the UK and Ireland’s answer to US Route 66. The chain is supplying accommodation along the way to Shanahan. She will complete the road trip in a KIA Soul EV supplied by electric car leasing company DriveElectric, stopping at charging stations along the route mapped out by ZapMap.
Beyond promoting local tourism, the campaign aims to challenge common misconceptions about electric vehicles. A recent survey by the AA shows that range is one of the top reasons people are not buying electric cars. The journey will demonstrate that modern electric-vehicle technology can cover more than 2,580 miles across four countries.
Shanahan will post updates on the Route 57 website, www.route57.org.uk (2026 update: link dead), along with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. She will also take driving-music suggestions via the Twitter hashtag #route57 or through the Route 57 Spotify playlist. She also welcomes audiobook suggestions. She will begin by listening to Bill Bryson’s “Notes from a Small Island.”