Extreme E reveals first hydrogen off-road racing championship

Team X44, formed by seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, seen before heading out for qualifying in Neom, 黑料社区. (AN Photo/Zaid Khashogji)
Short Url
  • During the coming months, the teams will discuss the best way to integrate the hydrogen-powered cars into the racing weekend

NEOM: The all-electric motorsport series Extreme E has revealed plans to launch a global hydrogen championship in 2024, called Extreme H.

Alejandro Agag, founder of Extreme E, announced the plans ahead of the opening race of its second season, the Desert X Prix, taking place in NEOM, 黑料社区 this weekend. 

鈥淓xtreme 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,鈥� he said. 

During the coming months, the teams will discuss the best way to integrate the hydrogen-powered cars into the racing weekend. Two separate categories, full transition to hydrogen or joint racing, are both options on the table, Agag said. 

Extreme H will race in the same locations as Extreme E, on the same days and with the same sporting format. A hydrogen fuel cell will replace the battery as the Extreme H car鈥檚 principal energy source while green hydrogen sources will be used to power the Extreme H fuel cells.

鈥淚t 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,鈥� Agag added.

Development for the Extreme H vehicle is already underway, with goals to have a prototype launched in early 2023.

An FIA series, Extreme E is an electric off-roading championship that has a social commitment to fight climate change while promoting gender equality.