Extreme E intends to develop a global hydrogen initiative. In 2024, a championship dubbed Extreme H will be held.
Extreme H will compete in the same venues as Extreme E on the same days and will follow the same sporting format. Two categories, complete changeover, or combination racing are all possibilities for incorporating Hydrogen into the Competition. A hydrogen fuel cell will take the role of the battery as the primary source of energy for the Extreme H automobile. The Extreme H fuel cells will be powered by green hydrogen sources. The Extreme H vehicle is already in development, with the intention of launching a prototype in early 2023.
Extreme E, the purpose-driven motorsport, announced plans to host an off-road hydrogen championship in 2024. The new series, dubbed Extreme H, will complement the company’s existing electric racing series, Extreme E, and will be a world first for motorsport.
Alejandro Agag, who was recently given Autosport 2022’s ‘Pioneering and Innovation Award’, announced the news ahead of Extreme E’s Season 2 opening race, the Desert X Prix, in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. He said: “Extreme E was designed to be a testbed for innovation and solutions for mobility. It has become increasingly clear to us that creating a hydrogen racing series is a natural evolution of our mission to showcase the possibilities of new technologies in the race to fight climate issues.
“Together with the current Extreme E Teams we will decide in the coming months the best way to integrate the Hydrogen powered cars into the racing weekend. Two separate categories, full transition to Hydrogen or joint racing are all options on the table.
“Extreme E is an FIA International Series and our intention is to work closely again with the FIA and the Automobile Club de Monaco on the development of Extreme H. Sport is the fastest and most effective platform for driving innovation, and by using the existing Extreme E platform we can also utilise our transport, talent and operations to ensure we are minimising footprint in the process. This effectively means we can have double the race action, with marginal additional impact.”
The Extreme H automobile will be powered by the same engine and chassis as the Extreme E car. The main differentiator in Extreme H will be the use of hydrogen fuel cells in place of batteries as the primary energy source.
Green hydrogen sources, such as solar and water, will be used to power the Extreme H fuel cells. This technology is already in use in Extreme E, where it serves as the primary source of energy for the vehicle’s batteries.
Alejandro added: “It is fitting to launch the concept of Extreme H here in NEOM, a place with huge ambition around clean energy solutions, and the perfect example of a location which can and will become home to large-scale green hydrogen production and distribution.”
Peter Wadhams, Extreme E Scientific Committee member and Head of the Polar Ocean Physics Group in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge, added: “It is exciting that the scope of Extreme E is now to be extended to encompass the renewable world of hydrogen power. At the COP-26 meeting in Glasgow last November there was a positive crowd of hydrogen vehicles, demonstrating the potential of this energy source, especially for larger vehicles. There was a bus, an ambulance, a JCB digger and several trucks. In amongst them was the McLaren Extreme-E electric car.
“I have seen hydrogen power in action in Orkney, where hydrogen is created in the outer islands using wind power, compressed and brought to Kirkwall by ferry, then used to power the Kirkwall fleet of public service vehicles. There are so many exciting possibilities of this kind which will be supported and energised by the publicity given to hydrogen vehicles by Extreme E.”
Jenson Button, Team Owner of the JBXE Extreme E team, said: “For Extreme E to be evolving into Extreme H is incredibly exciting and a brilliant step forward in such a short space of time for the series. To see racing of this calibre powered by Hydrogen cells, which will allow for even more racing with less impact, is remarkable.”
Nasser Al-Attiyah, ABT Cupra XE driver, said: “I think it’s a good idea to have a new Championship with hydrogen in close contact with Extreme E. I think it will be interesting to see how well the new event goes. I hope everybody will enjoy it and it will also be fascinating for the manufacturers. There has been some pressure for hydrogen to be a part of the motorsport world, and I think it is a good idea so we’ll see what we can do.”
Dan Bailey, CEO of Veloce Racing, said: “Veloce always supports innovation, which is exactly why we got involved in Extreme E from the very start. Hydrogen is a key pillar for the future of the automotive industry. We’re excited and supportive of the future plans and look forward to seeing how it develops.”
Extreme E’s activities employ a variety of strategies to minimize their overall carbon impact. Several examples include the following: utilizing a refurbished ship to transport the Championship’s freight and logistics equipment, including race cars and the paddock; utilizing remote broadcast and digital streaming; limiting team personnel numbers; and powering the paddock with a combination of battery and green hydrogen.
The Extreme H vehicle is already in development, with the intention of launching a prototype in early 2023.
