Extreme E plans switch to hydrogen as Extreme H from 2025

LONDON : The Extreme E electric off-road racing series whose team owners include Formula One champions Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button, is planning a switch to hydrogen as Extreme H from 2025.

Founder Alejandro Agag told Reuters on Thursday that a decision would be made in the next few months but teams were supportive.

Those involved include famed motorsport brands McLaren, Andretti and Ganassi.

"Extreme H will become a world championship. Extreme E will continue running in 2024 and probably that will be its last year," said Agag.

The Paris-based governing FIA and Extreme E announced last week a non-binding memorandum of understanding to create the first hydrogen off-road world championship.

As part of that framework, Extreme H would become an FIA championship in 2025 and then a full world championship from 2026.

Extreme H could run alongside Extreme E in an alternative scenario but Agag said that was unlikely to happen.

"In all likelihood I think hydrogen is the big bet for Extreme E," said Agag, who also founded the Formula E city-based electric single-seater series.

"We want to become a test bed for hydrogen not only inside the car but also outside the car."

Extreme E, with identical SUVs and male and female drivers in every lineup, launched in 2021 as an off-road zero-emission rally series.

CLIMATE CHANGE

It aims to raise awareness about climate change and promote sustainability by racing in remote and damaged environments around the world.

"Extreme E needs a new direction, in a way," said Agag.

"Probably this is because already Formula E is there for batteries and after three years racing we needed to find a unique selling point for Extreme E that we haven’t found in the first three years.

"If we can combine