Extreme H, the successor series to the electric off-road championship Extreme E, presented its racing car for the planned debut season in 2025 on Thursday. The ‘H’ in the series name stands for hydrogen: The SUV-like cars are powered by fuel cells and are thus the first vehicles to compete in races with this technology.
At the launch in the British capital London, the Extreme H officials, including Formula E founder Alejandro Agag, announced the first details of the new racing car. The prototype, called ‘Pioneer 25’, is said to have an output of 400 kW, which corresponds to around 550 hp. The weight of the 2.40 meter wide car is stated to be 2,200 kilograms. As in Extreme E, the races will take place on off-road courses around the globe.
As in Formula E, the chassis come from Spark Racing Technology and have a uniform design. Technological developments are prohibited for cost reasons. The teams can only redesign the front and rear bodywork and the lights as they wish. The 75 kW fuel cell comes from Symbio, a French company that is owned one third each by Stellantis, Michelin and Faurecia.
Red Bull will sponsor Extreme H – race in Germany announced
Interesting: The launch vehicle bears the colors of Red Bull, the new beverage sponsor of Extreme H. This is the first time that businessman Agag has managed to win over an energy drink manufacturer for his electric racing series. Other partners include Siemens and Vodafone.
For the first time, the SUV series will also stop in Germany. A venue and date have not yet been announced. In addition to the Germany race, the 2025 calendar will include four more events in Saudi Arabia, Great Britain, Italy and the USA.
Which teams compete in Extreme H?
It is not yet known how many teams and which drivers will compete in Extreme H. In Extreme E, founded in 2021, eight racing teams are currently involved after the departure of Abt Sportsline, Lewis Hamilton’s X44 team and Chip Ganassi Racing.
So far, Carlos Sainz Senior’s Acciona/Sainz XE team, Jenson Button’s racing team JBXE, McLaren, a team led by NASCAR icon Jimmie Johnson, Andretti, Veloce Racing, Sun Minimeal with Timo Scheider and Nico Rosberg’s team, whose entries will be carried out by the Rosberg team led by Kimmo Liimatainen, have confirmed their participation in Extreme H. The principle of mixed teams, in which a woman and a man take turns at the wheel, is to be retained.
The Extreme H car is scheduled to make its first public appearance on the track in mid-July in Scotland, where the current Extreme E is holding its second race of the season. The start of the first hydrogen season is scheduled for April 2025.