- Called Pioneer 25, this all-terrain vehicle will compete in some of the toughest places in the world from 2025 onwards.
- Starting next year, Extreme H and its fuel-cell cars will replace Extreme E and its battery electric vehicles.
Carlos Sainz took part yesterday in the launch of Extreme H, the brand-new hydrogen fuel-cell championship that will replace Extreme E from 2025 onwards, four years after the series started competing with electric vehicles all-terrains. A world-first that will explore a new path into sustainable mobility in some of the toughest environments on the planet.
Sainz attended the event, which took place on the St Helena ship as it sailed through London’s Thames. The Tower of London and the London Bridge were the backdrop to it. Carlos talked to the crowd and was accompanied by drivers Catie Munnings and Hedda Hosås, as well as the series promoter Alejandro Agag. They not only announced the creation of Extreme H, but they also showcased its new vehicle, called Pioneer 25.
Whereas the Odyssey 21 is the battery-electric vehicle that Extreme E has used since its maiden season in 2021, the Pioneer 25 will be the car used by Extreme H when the series gets started in 2025. It will be just as powerful as its predecessor, at 400 kilowatts (some 550 horsepower), which will be obtained from two engines placed in each axle. They will obtain the energy from a 36 kWh battery, capable of delivering 325 kW, and a hydrogen fuel cell that will add another 75 kW and that will have its hydrogen tank.
Spark Racing Technology has developed the Pioneer 25, the very same company in charge of building the Odyssey 21 back in the day. The all-terrain is now in the last phase of its testing programme, which started in December 2023 with the first validation tests and continued in January 2024 with the first off-road experience. Teams will receive their cars between October and November.
QUOTES:
Carlos Sainz:
"Venturing into hydrogen is a really exciting prospect for our series. It is all about pioneering new paths into sustainable mobility and this championship is unique in the sense that it puts the latest technology to the test in the toughest environments in the world. Hydrogen has a future both on the road but also in racing. Extreme H will be a world-first and a key stepping stone into that tomorrow".
