Extreme E off-road electric SUV motorsport series starts this weekend

The Desert XPrix in Saudi Arabia launches the Extreme E five-race series featuring electric SUVs run by nine teams, the first event live on Sky Sports Action/Mix on Saturday.

Leading motorsport business Prodrive is partnering with Lewis Hamilton’s Extreme E team X44 for each round of the series which features wheel-to-wheel racing.

Extreme E venues are in some of the most remote places on Earth, chosen because they have been devastated by the effects of climate change.

These will highlight a variety of serious climate issues including melting ice caps in Greenland, deforestation in Brazil, and rising sea levels in Senegal.

Extreme E also aims to inspire people, companies and locations to take positive steps in climate action.

The use of electric vehicles is part of the solution, and a chance for teams and manufacturers to test and showcase their latest automotive technology.

Each X-Prix race weekend will include two days of action with world-class drivers, each team having a male and female driver to support gender equality.

Two qualifying sessions are held on the Saturday of each race weekend, with the semi-finals and final on the Sunday.

A ‘Gridplay’ feature lets fans vote for their favourite driver to gain grid advantage, although spectators are not encouraged at the race venues to lower carbon footprints.

Prodrive-contracted drivers Sébastien Loeb, and fellow Dakar competitor Cristina Gutiérrez will compete in the X44 Odyssey 21.

The Odyssey 21 is a large electric buggy made by Spark Racing Technology for all competing teams, producing 400kW, capable of reaching 100km/h in 4.5 seconds and having a 120km/h top speed – McLaren providing the drivetrain, Williams the electric battery, and Continental the tyres.

Loeb is a legend of the motorsport world, with a record nine World Rally Championships and 79 WRC wins. He has also achieved three Race of Champions victories.

Gutierréz made history in the 2017 Dakar Rally by becoming the first Spanish female driver to finish the race in the car category.

Other team owners include Nico Rosberg (Rosberg X Racing) and Jenson Button (JBXE).

“Extreme E is such an exciting and unique concept and I have been fascinated by the project ever since Alejandro (Alejandro Agag, a Spanish businessman previously involved in Formula 1 who also founded Formula E) launched it almost two years ago,” Prodrive chairman and founder David Richards says.

“When Lewis then announced his interest in a team it was a great opportunity for Prodrive to help him realise his personal ambitions from the series.”

The eSUVs will be charged via hydrogen fuel cells because of power restrictions at the venues.

British company AFC Energy uses water and sun to generate the hydrogen power, and the only by-product – water – can be used at the venues.

The electric racers will be transported on the RMS St Helena, a former Royal Mail passenger-cargo vessel converted to Extreme E’s operations hub.