- The new Pioneer 25 has a 75 kWh hydrogen fuel cell and produces 550 hp.
- All teams will use the same hydrogen-powered racer but will be able to customize the design.
- The Extreme H season will kick off in Saudi Arabia next year.
Extreme E, the off-roading racing series with wild, all-electric buggies, is no more and will be replaced by Extreme H, which will become the world’s first hydrogen fully spec racing series. The new racer is dubbed the Pioneer 25 and shares a lot in common with the Odyssey 21 it replaces.
The hydrogen off-road racer has been designed and manufactured by Spark Racing Technology, using a hydrogen fuel cell from Symbio. It rocks a 75 kW hydrogen fuel cell that powers a battery pack from Fortescue ZERO. Electric motors offer a combined 550 hp, and even though the Pioneer 25 weighs 2,200 kg (4,850 lbs), it can fire to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.5 seconds.
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Participating teams will get a common package of standardized parts but will also be able to design their own front and rear bodywork to make them look more like road-going models.
“The Pioneer 25 is a significant upgrade on the ODYSSEY 21,” Extreme E technical director Mark Grain said. “Overall performance of the car has taken a big step forward. The all-new suspension geometry with driver adjustable shock absorbers from FOX on the Extreme H car provides a great platform for the power and torque that’s going to be available to the drivers.”
“We’ve demonstrated EVs can cope with very harsh environments and racing in hard conditions in Extreme E, so moving to Extreme H is a natural progression. We want to demonstrate to the world that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can be exciting, they can be rugged and they can be very robust. We want to carry through that development with the Pioneer 25.”
The Extreme H series will start next year and include 10 rounds across five locations. Saudi Arabia will play host to the first round before the championship heads to Europe for races in the UK, Germany, and Italy. The season will then conclude with a round in the United States. Exact dates have yet to be announced.
“The launch of Extreme H marks an evolution of our championship, but there is so much from the years of learning and successes we have had so far which will carry over into our hydrogen future,” Extreme E founder Alejandro Agag added. “Our series is going to improve, but the elements which work will remain the same.”
