(Reuters) – Extreme E, the electric off-road series that made its debut last year, is set to launch a hydrogen championship in 2024, organisers announced on Friday.
Extreme H will run alongside Extreme E, with races held on the same days and at the same venues.
“Extreme E was designed to be a tested for innovation and solutions for mobility,” founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said in a statement.
“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.”
Development for the Extreme H vehicle, which will see a hydrogen fuel cell replace the battery as the car’s principal energy source, is already in the works, with a prototype expected by early next year.
“Together with the current Extreme E Teams we will decide in the coming months the best way to integrate the Hydrogen powered cars into the racing weekend. Two separate categories, full transition to Hydrogen or joint racing are all options on the table,” added Agag.
Former Formula One world champion Nico Rosberg’s team won the inaugural Extreme E title last year, edging seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton’s team for the trophy. The new season kicks off in Neom, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
