Extreme E

Extreme E
CategoryElectric off-road racing
CountryInternational
Drivers20
Teams10
ConstructorsSpark Racing Technology
Tyre suppliersContinental Tyres
Drivers' championSweden Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky
Sweden Johan Kristoffersson
Teams' championGermany Rosberg X Racing
Official websiteextreme-e.com
Current season

Extreme E is an FIA-sanctioned international off-road racing series that uses spec silhouette electric SUVs to race in remote parts of the world, such as the Saudi Arabian desert or the Arctic.[1][2] All racing locations are chosen to raise awareness for some aspects of climate change and Extreme E maintains a "Legacy Programme" which intends to provide social and environmental support for those locations.[3] The series also promotes gender equality in motorsport by mandating that all teams consist of a female and a male driver who share equal driving duties.[4]

The first season began with the Desert X-Prix in Saudi Arabia in April 2021.[5] Rosberg X Racing is the current defending champion.

History

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Preparations

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Extreme E began in 2018 as a project led by Formula E founder Alejandro Agag and former driver Gil de Ferran.[6] The series was presented to the public in January 2019 with an event in London.[7] The announcement took place on board the ship St Helena which was to serve as "floating paddock" of the series, and also introduced Continental as tyre supplier and Brazilian company CBMM as niobium supplier for the vehicle production.[8] Ali Russell was named Chief Marketing Officer, while Red Bull sports executives Kester Wilkinson and Nina Dreier signed on as event and marketing managers.[9]

The first team to commit to the series, Venturi Racing, was announced in May 2019 (although they withdrew again before the first season).[10] A couple of months later, German team Abt Sportsline was the second team to join the series.[11]

In July 2019 a first prototype of the series vehicle, the Odyssey 21, was showcased at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and in December 2019 the provisional calendar for the first season in 2021 was revealed, featuring races in Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Greenland and Brazil.[12][13]

In 2020, the series started to attract attention by having Ken Block race the Extreme E car at the last stage of the Dakar Rally in January and in September Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton announced the creation of his own Extreme E team, called X44.[14][15] Former F1 champion and Hamilton's longtime team-mate and rival, Nico Rosberg also entered his own team into the competition with Rosberg X Racing, as did fellow champion Jenson Button with JBXE; Button also drove the 2021 Desert X-Prix for his team.[16] A six-day drivers' test was held near the Châteaux de Lastours in southern France in late September and early October, featuring among confirmed series drivers some well-known racing drivers like Valtteri Bottas, Sébastien Loeb and Jean-Éric Vergne.[17]

In November 2020, the vehicles were delivered to the teams, who could then apply their liveries and acquaint themselves with the car and its operations. The teams were limited to 100km of private testing.[18] A joint test with eight teams and a race simulation was held at MotorLand Aragón in December.[19]

The St Helena departed from Liverpool on 20 February 2021, carrying equipment and 9 cars for the first race in April and arrived in Jeddah on 14 March.[20][21]

2021 season

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Main article: 2021 Extreme E Championship

The first season began with the Desert X-Prix in Saudi Arabia in April 2021 and ended in December in the United Kingdom.[22] Nine teams were competing over five rounds. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic the calendar had to be modified during the season with two European rounds replacing the two planned events in South America.[23][24] Rosberg X Racing with drivers Molly Taylor and Johan Kristoffersson emerged as the first Extreme E champions.[25]

2022 season

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Main article: 2022 Extreme E Championship

The second season started in February 2022, again in Saudi Arabia.[26] McLaren joined the series as a new team.[27] The season ended in November 2022 in Uruguay. The second season was won by Team X44 with drivers Cristina Gutiérrez and Sébastien Loeb.

2023 season

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Main article: 2023 Extreme E Championship

The third season started once again in Saudi Arabia in March 2023.[28] Xite Energy Racing left the series and Carl Cox Motorsport joined the series as a new team.[29] The season ended in December 2023 in Chile. The third season was won by Rosberg X Racing with drivers Johan Kristoffersson and Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky.

2024 season

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Main article: 2024 Extreme E Championship

The fourth season started in Saudi Arabia in February 2024.[30] Abt Cupra XE, X44, Chip Ganassi Racing and Carl Cox Motorsport left the series,[31][32][33][34] while SUN Minimeal XE Team and Legacy Motor Club joined the series as new entrants.[35][36] On 6 September, a week before the scheduled Island X-Prix I, Extreme E cancelled the remaining rounds in Sardinia and Phoenix.[37][38]

2025 season

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Prior to the 2022 season's opening race, Agag announced the creation of a similar off-road electric championship called Extreme H, featuring a hydrogen fuel cell version of the Spark Odyssey 21 car. In August 2023, the FIA and Extreme E signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding to set out a framework for Extreme H. The inaugural season will be in 2025 and the series will be recognized as an FIA World Championship in 2026 if the requisite criteria are met.[39][40] In January 2024, the organised announced that Extreme H would replace Extreme E, rather than co-exist.[41]

Champions

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Drivers' Champions
Season Drivers Team Wins Podiums SS Points Clinched Margin
2021 Sweden Johan Kristoffersson
Australia Molly Taylor 		Germany Rosberg X Racing 3 3 0 133 Round 5 of 5 12
2022 Spain Cristina Gutiérrez
France Sébastien Loeb 		United Kingdom X44 Vida Carbon Racing 1 4 1 73 Round 5 of 5 5
2023 Sweden Johan Kristoffersson
Sweden Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky 		Germany Rosberg X Racing 3 7 1 159 Round 10 of 10 15
2024


Teams' Champions
Season Team Wins Podiums SS Points Clinched Margin
2021 Germany Rosberg X Racing 3 3 0 155 Round 5 of 5 0
2022 United Kingdom X44 Vida Carbon Racing 1 4 1 86 Round 5 of 5 2
2023 Germany Rosberg X Racing 3 7 1 182 Round 10 of 10 11
2024

Race format

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Teams consist of one female and one male driver, who share equal driving duties. In each session, the team must complete two or four laps (depending on the length of the course), with both team members splitting their driving time in half. The driver switch takes place in a designated "switch zone", where a speed limit and a minimal switch time are enforced for safety reasons.[42]

The format of the Extreme E race weekend evolved over the course of the first three seasons. Under the current format, a weekend is composed of two separate rounds, one on Saturday and the other on Sunday. Racing starts with two qualifying sessions, each consisting of two five-car heats. Then, a pair of official races take place to determine the event winner. Qualifying is designed so that each team competes in two heats, one for each session. A team's finishing position contributes towards the combined qualifying results, based on intermediate points (10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 for each heat). Championship points were awarded for overall qualifying in season one—per the current system, only the winner of a qualifying heat earns a championship point. The qualifying results determine to which race each teams advances: the top five qualifiers progress to the "Grand Final" and the bottom five to the "Redemption Race". The Grand Final decides positions one to five in the final event classification, with the Redemption Race dictating positions six to ten.[43]

Additionally, a "super sector" is defined, where two extra points are awarded to the fastest team through that sector over the event.[44] During a session, one "Hyperdrive" can be used per lap, which provides extra power for four seconds.

Vehicle

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Extreme E car: the Spark Odyssey 21
Main article: Spark Odyssey 21

The Spark Odyssey 21 electric SUV was unveiled as the series' competition vehicle at Goodwood Festival of Speed on 5 July 2019.[12] The vehicle is manufactured by Spark Racing Technology, the constructors of the Formula E cars, with a battery produced by Williams Advanced Engineering. The car is fitted with a niobium-reinforced steel alloy tubular frame, as well as crash structure and roll cage.[45] It weighs 1,650 kg (3,640 lb), and is capable of 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, with 400 kW (540 hp) of power.[46]

The Odyssey 21 was first showcased at the 2020 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. Guerlain Chicherit drove the vehicle during shakedown one day before the race start and Ken Block competed with it on the final stage between Haradh and Al-Qiddiya, finishing with the third fastest time in the car category.[47]

Teams and drivers

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The Extreme E regulations require each team to consist of a female and a male driver who share equal driving duties (with a driver swap in the middle of each race).[4]

In September 2019, Extreme E released a list of drivers who had registered official interest in driving in the series.[48] Teams could select drivers from this list, but they could also sign any other driver. In November, a second group of inductees joined the programme.[49] The first actual driver signing, Sara Price with Chip Ganassi Racing, was announced in June 2020.[50]

Reserve drivers can substitute any driver before the beginning of each subsequent rounds. The series also employs "championship drivers" as reserves and advisors, while guest championship drivers are occasionally present to work with the full-time members.[51] Championship drivers can be hired to permanent seats by teams such as Jutta Kleinschmidt by Abt Cupra in 2021.[52]

Race locations and legacy programme

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class=notpageimage|
Extreme E race locations

Extreme E races in locations already damaged by climate change in order to bring awareness to the problems posed by climate change and have consulted ecological experts to keep the impact of their presence to a minimum.[53] The series maintains a so called "legacy programme" which intends to provide support for social and environmental challenges at the racing locations.[54]

Environment Host Nation Location Season Legacy Programme
Arctic Greenland Greenland Kangerlussuaq, Russell Glacier 2021 UNICEF youth climate education and children's rights awareness programme,[55] Black ice collection
Copper Chile Chile Calama, Antofagasta Region 2022 Biodiversity, Loa water frog conservation[56]
Desert Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia Sharaan, Al-'Ula 2021 Red Sea turtle conservation[57]
Neom 2022
2023 Several rewilding initiatives[58]
Energy Uruguay Uruguay José Ignacio 2022 Marine conservation, ecotourism, and renewable energy awareness[59]
Hydro United Kingdom Great Britain Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland 2023 River restoration[60]
Island Italy Italy Capo Teulada, Sardinia 2021 Blue and green carbon stores[61]
2022
Jurassic United Kingdom Great Britain Bovington Camp, Dorset 2021 Beaver Reintroduction,[62] in partnership with The National Trust
Ocean Senegal Senegal Lac Rose 2021 Mangrove restoration[63]

Logistics

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The RMS St Helena with Extreme E livery

The RMS St Helena, a former Royal Mail Ship, serves as a "floating paddock" and headquarters for the series. It is used to carry all equipment, including the cars, to the race locations (or nearest port) in order to reduce carbon emissions compared to air freight. The ship's environmental footprint has been reduced by converting the propulsion units and the generators to run on ultra-low-sulfur diesel. The St Helena also serves as a research vessel, carrying scientists and potentially holding conferences at the race locations.[64]

Extreme E uses hydrogen fuel cell generators supplied by AFC Energy. Hydrogen fuel is generated from water and solar energy and is then used to charge the vehicles' batteries, allowing for a sustainable off-the-grid power generation.[65]

Broadcasts and documentary series

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Aurora Media Worldwide and North One Television were selected as host broadcasters, producing live race coverage and a supporting documentary series, combining sport and scientific stories.[66] Academy Award-winning filmmaker Fisher Stevens was hired as the series artistic director to produce the broadcasts. Gil de Ferran said that the "viewers can expect a completely new way of consuming sport, with each episode telling not just the story of a race, but the wider race of awareness and the need to protect these remote and challenging environments being explored by Extreme E."[67][68]

Before the first season in 2021, a three-part TV series has been produced to document the process of creating a brand-new racing series. The first episode premiered in June 2020 on Channel 4 in the UK, followed a few days later on Eurosport.[69]

The live broadcast is presented by Andrew Coley and Jennie Gow from a studio in London, and Layla Anna-Lee is the on-site reporter and also presents a 20-episode magazine show called Electric Odyssey.[70]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FIA Announces World Motorsport Council Decisions". fia.com. 9 October 2020.
  2. ^ Burgt, Alex Kalinauckas and Andrew van de. "New Extreme E electric SUV series to launch with Formula E". Autosport.com.
  3. ^ "Extreme E unveils Scientific Committee and first Legacy Programme initiative". extreme-e.com. 21 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Why Extreme E's equality stance is necessary". autosport.com. 11 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Extreme E — Calendar". extreme-e.com. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  6. ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew (29 August 2018). "Formula E to run "Extreme E" SUV series". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  7. ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (31 January 2019). "Extreme E unveils full series concept ahead of 2021 launch". Autosport. Richmond, Surrey. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Formula E founder launches radical new off-road racing concept Extreme E". FIA Formula E. 31 January 2019.
  9. ^ "Extreme E hires Red Bull executives to manage events and marketing teams". SportBusiness. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Venturi signs up as first Extreme E team for Formula E-backed series". autosport.com. 7 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Long-time Audi affiliate ABT Sportsline joins Extreme E off-road series". autosport.com. 10 July 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Formula E's electric off-road SUV is an absolute unit". theverge.com. 6 July 2019.
  13. ^ "Extreme E calendar confirmed for inaugural season". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. 18 December 2019.
  14. ^ "New Extreme E climate-aware SUV unleashed". bbc.com. 24 January 2020.
  15. ^ "Lewis Hamilton to enter his own team in new Extreme E all-electric racing series". theguardian.com. 8 September 2020.
  16. ^ "Jenson Button joins Extreme E as driver and team owner for 2021 season". skysports.com. 25 January 2021.
  17. ^ "Bottas, Loeb, Vergne complete Extreme E test". motorsport.com/. 5 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Getting to know our Odyssey 21". veloce-racing.com. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  19. ^ "First full-power Extreme E group test conducted in Spain". motorsport.com. 19 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Extreme E's ship St. Helena embarks for worldwide racing tour". nbcsports.com. 19 February 2021.
  21. ^ "St. Helena docks in Jeddah carrying all-electric SUVs for Extreme E's debut X Prix". arabnews.com. 15 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Extreme E — Calendar". extreme-e.com. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  23. ^ "Extreme E reveals Jurassic X Prix season finale". SportsPro. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  24. ^ "ENEL X ISLAND X PRIX". Extreme E - The Electric Odyssey. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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  26. ^ "Season 2 calendar unveiled". Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  27. ^ "McLaren to join Extreme E in 2022 as motorsport giant enters team for all-electric series". Sky Sports. 11 June 2021. Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  28. ^ "Extreme E Reveals Season 3 Calendar". Extreme E. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  29. ^ "Superstar DJ Carl Cox confirms Extreme E team". Extreme E - The Electric Odyssey. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  30. ^ Wilde, Dominik (21 December 2023). "2024 Extreme E calendar includes first U.S. race". Racer.com. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  31. ^ "ABT CUPRA to focus entirely on Formula E in 2024". ABT Sportsline. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  32. ^ Nguyen, Justin (7 February 2024). "X44 closes after three XE seasons". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  33. ^ Wilde, Dominik (8 February 2024). "Chip Ganassi Racing departs Extreme E". RACER.com. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  34. ^ Wilde, Dominik (9 February 2024). "Carl Cox to take Extreme E sabbatical ahead of hydrogen switch". RACER. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  35. ^ Wilde, Dominik (29 January 2024). "SUN Minimeal joins Extreme E with Scheider and Andersson". RACER. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  36. ^ Ryan, Nate (12 February 2024). "Jimmie Johnson will join Extreme E for 2024 season with Legacy Motor Club". NBC Sports. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  37. ^ "Extreme E Season 4 statement". Extreme E. 6 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  38. ^ Wilde, Dominik (6 September 2024). "Extreme E puts its season's remaining races on hold". RACER. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  39. ^ "FIA and Extreme E announce plans for first-ever Off-Road Hydrogen Racing World Championship". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 31 August 2023. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  40. ^ Howard, Tom (31 August 2023). "Hydrogen-powered Extreme H off-road series set for 2025 debut". www.motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  41. ^ Newbold, James (11 January 2024). "Extreme E to stop at end of 2024 amid hydrogen transition to Extreme H". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  42. ^ "Extreme E takes lead on gender equality in motorsport". Extreme E. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  43. ^ "Extreme E reveals supercharged format Season 3 sporting format". Extreme E - The Electric Odyssey. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  44. ^ "Extreme E set for Ocean X Prix". Extreme E. 24 May 2021.
  45. ^ "Extreme E—The Car". extreme-e.com.
  46. ^ "Guerlain Chicherit to drive Extreme E E-SUV at Dakar Rally". extreme-e.com. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  47. ^ "XE: Odyssey 21 has first competitive run at Dakar". extreme-e.com. last-lap.co.uk. 17 January 2020. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  48. ^ "Extreme E reveals world-class Drivers' Programme". Extreme E. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  49. ^ "One year down, one to go..." extreme-e.com. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  50. ^ "Chip Ganassi Racing Commits to Extreme E". Extreme E. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  51. ^ Nguyen, Justin (17 February 2022). "Romain Dumas, Hedda Hosas named guest Championship Drivers for Desert X Prix". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  52. ^ Kew, Matt (24 June 2021). "Kleinschmidt to replace Hurtgen for full XE season at Abt". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  53. ^ "Extreme E Locations". Extreme E. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  54. ^ "Extreme E unveil legacy programme and scientific panel on the eve of Earth Day". drivetribe.com. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  55. ^ "GREENLAND". Extreme E - The Electric Odyssey. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  56. ^ "Copper X Prix". extreme-e.com. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  57. ^ "Extreme E announces new Red Sea conservation initiative". arabnews.com. 31 March 2021.
  58. ^ "Extreme E reveals NEOM legacy programme on World Wildlife Day". extreme-e.com. 3 March 2023.
  59. ^ "Extreme E launches extensive Legacy Programme in Uruguay". extreme-e.com. 24 November 2022.
  60. ^ "Environmental projects in Scotland revealed". extreme-e.com. 26 April 2023.
  61. ^ "One month until Island X Prix". extreme-e.com. 23 September 2021.
  62. ^ "JURASSIC X PRIX". Extreme E - The Electric Odyssey. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  63. ^ "Lac Rose".
  64. ^ "Prepping for RMS St Helena's Extreme Voyage". alt-drivemagazine.com. 19 June 2020. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  65. ^ "Extreme E partners with AFC Energy to pioneer zero emission vehicle charging". RACER. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  66. ^ "Aurora, North One to host Extreme E broadcasting". advanced-television.com. 8 October 2020.
  67. ^ "Extreme E unveils full series concept ahead of 2021 launch". autosport.com. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  68. ^ "An electric future". dakar.com. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  69. ^ "Extreme E set to make TV debut on Channel 4". extreme-e.com. 22 June 2020.
  70. ^ "All-star broadcast team to tell the story of Season 1". extreme-e.com. 26 February 2021.
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