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Extreme E

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Extreme E
CategoryElectric off-road racing
CountryInternational
Drivers20
Teams10
ConstructorsSpark Racing Technology
Tyre suppliersContinental Tyres
Official websiteextreme-e.com
Current season

Extreme E is an FIA-sanctioned international off-road racing series that uses spec electric SUVs to race in remote parts of the world, such as the Amazon rainforest 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 first season is planned to start in April 2021.[4]

History

Extreme E began in 2018 as a project led by Formula E founder Alejandro Agag and former driver Gil de Ferran.[5] The series was presented to the public in January 2019 with an event in London.[6] The announcement took place on board of the RMS St Helena which will 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.[7] Ali Russell was named Chief Marketing Officer, while Red Bull sports executives Kester Wilkinson and Nina Dreier signed on as event and marketing managers.[8]

The first team to commit to the series, Venturi Racing, was announced in May 2019 (although they withdrew again before the first season).[9] A couple months later, German team Abt Sportsline was the second team to join the series.[10]

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 has been revealed, featuring races in Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Greenland and Brazil.[11][12]

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.[13][14] 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.[15]

It was reported in October 2020 that a trademark opposition against Extreme E has been filed by Extreme International, owner of the 'Extreme' brand.[16][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 are limited to 100km of private testing.[18] A joint test with eight teams and a race simulation was held at MotorLand Aragón in December, before the vehicles will be loaded onto the St Helena in February 2021 to be shipped to the first race in Saudi Arabia.[19]

Race format

An Extreme E race weekend consists of four rounds with seven races in total: Two qualifying rounds (two races each) on Saturday, then the semi-finals (two races) and the final on Sunday. Each qualifying round consist of two races (with half of the cars in each race), and points are awarded based on finishing position. The teams scoring the most points in the two qualifying rounds proceed to semi-final 1, the remaining teams proceed to semi-final 2 (called "crazy race"). Semi-final rounds are one race each. The top three cars from SF1, and the top car from SF2, proceed to the final.[20]

In each race the car must complete two laps of the course, with each team member driving one lap and co-driving the other lap. Teams must have one male and one female driver, who will perform the same driving and co-driving duties, promoting gender equality and a level playing field amongst competitors.[21]

Vehicle

Extreme E car: the 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.[11] 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.[22] 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.[23]

The Odyssey 21 was showcased in action in 2020 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January 2020. 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.[24]

Teams and drivers

In September 2019, Extreme E released a list of drivers who had registered official interest in driving in the series.[25] Teams can, but don't have to choose drivers from this list. In November, a second group of inductees were announced to have joined the programme.[26] The first driver signing, Sara Price with Chip Ganassi Racing, was announced in June 2020.[27]

The following teams and drivers are set to compete in the first Extreme E season:

Team Drivers
Germany Abt Cupra XE[28] Sweden Mattias Ekström[29]
Germany Claudia Hürtgen[28]
Spain Acciona Sainz XE Team[30] Spain Carlos Sainz[30]
Spain Laia Sanz[30]
United States Andretti United Extreme E[31][32] Sweden Timmy Hansen[33]
United Kingdom Catie Munnings[33]
United States Chip Ganassi Racing[27] United States Sara Price[34]
United States Kyle LeDuc[35]
Spain Hispano-Suiza Xite Energy Team[36] United Kingdom Oliver Bennett[36]
Italy Christine Giampaoli Zonca[36]
United Kingdom JBXE[37] United Kingdom Jenson Button[37]
TBA
Germany Rosberg Xtreme Racing[38] Sweden Johan Kristoffersson[39]
Australia Molly Taylor[40]
Indonesia Techeetah[41] TBA
TBA
United Kingdom Veloce Racing[42] United Kingdom Jamie Chadwick[43]
France Stéphane Sarrazin[44]
United Kingdom Team X44[45] France Sébastien Loeb[46]
Spain Cristina Gutiérrez [46]

Race calendar

Extreme E plans to race 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.[47] A provisional race schedule for 2021 was announced on 17 December 2019.[48] An updated schedule was released at the series' launch event in October 2020. Because of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic the start of the season was pushed back to spring 2021 and a race in Ushuaia, Argentina was presented to replace the Nepal event.[49]

class=notpageimage|
Locations of the 2021 races
xPrix Host Nation Location Date
Desert Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia Sharaan, AlUla 3–4 April 2021
Ocean Senegal Senegal Lac Rose 29–30 May 2021
Arctic Greenland Greenland Kangerlussuaq, Russell Glacier 28–29 August 2021
Amazon Brazil Brazil Santarém, Pará 23–24 October 2021
Glacier Argentina Argentina Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego 11–12 December 2021

Logistics

The RMS St Helena with Extreme E livery

The RMS St Helena, a former Royal Mail Ship, will serve as a "floating paddock" and headquarters for the series. It will be 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 was further reduced by converting the propulsion units and the generators to run on ultra-low-sulfur diesel. The St Helena will also serve as a research vessel, carrying scientists and potentially holding conferences at the race locations.[50]

Extreme E will use hydrogen fuel cell technology supplied by AFC Energy. Hydrogen fuel will be generated from water and solar energy and will then be used to charge the vehicles, allowing for a sustainable off-the-grid power generation.[51]

Broadcasts and documentary series

Host broadcasters will be Aurora Media Worldwide and North One Television, producing live race coverage and a supporting documentary series, combining sport and scientific stories.[52] 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."[53][54]

Before the first season in 2021, a three-part TV series is produced to document the process of creating a brand-new racing series. The first episode premiered in June 2020 on Channel 4.[55]

See also

References

  1. ^ "FIA Announces World Motorsport Council Decisions". fia.com. 2020-10-09.
  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. 2020-04-21.
  4. ^ "Extreme E — Calendar". extreme-e.com. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  5. ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew (29 August 2018). "Formula E to run "Extreme E" SUV series". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  6. ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (31 January 2019). "Extreme E unveils full series concept ahead of 2021 launch". Autosport. Richmond, Surrey. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Formula E founder launches radical new off-road racing concept Extreme E". FIA Formula E.
  8. ^ "Extreme E hires Red Bull executives to manage events and marketing teams". SportBusiness. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Venturi signs up as first Extreme E team for Formula E-backed series". autosport.com. 2019-05-07.
  10. ^ "Long-time Audi affiliate ABT Sportsline joins Extreme E off-road series". autosport.com. 2019-07-10.
  11. ^ a b "Formula E's electric off-road SUV is an absolute unit". theverge.com. 2019-07-06.
  12. ^ "Extreme E calendar confirmed for inaugural season". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. 2019-12-18.
  13. ^ "New Extreme E climate-aware SUV unleashed". bbc.com. 2020-01-24.
  14. ^ "Lewis Hamilton to enter his own team in new Extreme E all-electric racing series". theguardian.com. 2020-09-08.
  15. ^ "Bottas, Loeb, Vergne complete Extreme E test". motorsport.com/. 2020-10-05.
  16. ^ Kew, Matt (2020-10-16). "Extreme E faces legal challenge over its name from adventure sports company". Autosport.
  17. ^ Rest, Jonathan (1 October 2020). "Extreme E faces legal and IP dispute ahead of debut season". SportCal. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Getting to know our Odyssey 21". veloce-racing.com. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  19. ^ "First full-power Extreme E group test conducted in Spain". motorsport.com. 2020-12-19.
  20. ^ "Race Weekend Format". Extreme E. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  21. ^ "Extreme E takes lead on gender equality in motorsport". Extreme E. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Extreme E—The Car". extreme-e.com.
  23. ^ "Guerlain Chicherit to drive Extreme E E-SUV at Dakar Rally". extreme-e.com. 2020-01-01. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  24. ^ "XE: Odyssey 21 has first competitive run at Dakar". extreme-e.com. last-lap.co.uk. 2020-01-17.
  25. ^ "Extreme E reveals world-class Drivers' Programme". Extreme E. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  26. ^ "One year down, one to go..." extreme-e.com. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  27. ^ a b "Chip Ganassi Racing Commits to Extreme E". Extreme E. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  28. ^ a b "Claudia Hürtgen completes ABT CUPRA XE driver line-up". Extreme E. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  29. ^ "ABT confirms Mattias Ekström as male driver and CUPRA as main partner". Extreme E. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  30. ^ a b c "ACCIONA, Carlos Sainz and QEV Technologies team up to compete in Extreme E". extreme-e.com. 2020-11-30.
  31. ^ "Andretti Autosport Joins Extreme E Team". Extreme E. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Introducing Andretti United Extreme E Team". Extreme E. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  33. ^ a b "Andretti United Extreme E confirms drivers Catie Munnings and Timmy Hansen". extreme-e.com. 2020-09-28.
  34. ^ "First Extreme E Driver is Revealed". Extreme E. 11 Jun 2020. Retrieved 11 Jun 2020.
  35. ^ "Chip Ganassi Racing confirm Extreme E driver line-up with Kyle LeDuc signing". www.extreme-e.com. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  36. ^ a b c "Hispano Suiza replaces HWA in debut season of Extreme E". motorsportweek.com. 2020-12-15.
  37. ^ a b "Jenson Button joins Extreme E as driver and team owner for 2021 season". skysports.com. 2021-01-25.
  38. ^ "Nico Rosberg to launch own Extreme E team". bbc.com. 2020-10-22.
  39. ^ "Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson will drive for Nico Rosberg in Extreme E". nbcsports.com. 2020-12-02.
  40. ^ "Taylor joins Rosberg Extreme E squad". motorsport.com. 2020-12-09.
  41. ^ "Team TECHEETAH to join Extreme E". extreme-e.com. 2020-09-01.
  42. ^ Lewis, Niamh (19 September 2019). "Adrian Newey: Formula 1 designer to join Extreme E". Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  43. ^ "Jamie Chadwick to race in Extreme E with Veloce". bbc.com. 2020-11-25.
  44. ^ "Veloce completes its Extreme E line-up with Sarrazin". dirtfish.com. 2021-01-21.
  45. ^ "Lewis Hamilton founds Extreme E team". extreme-e.com. 2020-09-08.
  46. ^ a b "Lewis Hamilton's Extreme E team hires Sebastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez". bbc.co.uk. 2020-11-12.
  47. ^ "Extreme E Locations". Extreme E. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  48. ^ "Extreme E unveils schedule for inaugural season". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  49. ^ "Argentina replaces Nepal, first Extreme E round delayed". dirtfish.com. 2020-10-26.
  50. ^ "Prepping for RMS St Helena's Extreme Voyage". alt-drivemagazine.com. 2020-06-19.
  51. ^ "Extreme E partners with AFC Energy to pioneer zero emission vehicle charging". RACER. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  52. ^ "Aurora, North One to host Extreme E broadcasting". advanced-television.com. 2020-10-08.
  53. ^ "Extreme E unveils full series concept ahead of 2021 launch". autosport.com. 2019-01-31. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  54. ^ "An electric future". dakar.com. 2020-01-04. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  55. ^ "Extreme E set to make TV debut on Channel 4". extreme-e.com. 2020-06-22.
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