Designed to demonstrate the viability and performance capabilities of hydrogen fuel cells, the Pioneer 25 car was revealed aboard the series’ St Helena ship in Central London today (27 June).
“This launch is not just about a new vehicle; it’s about pioneering the future of sustainable motorsport. Hydrogen fuel cells offer a remarkable opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint and promote clean energy solutions, and we are proud to lead this charge with Extreme H,” said Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Extreme E, which will transition to the new power source next year.
“The evolution to Extreme H is a momentous moment for our championship. It’s important for every motorsport series to have a unique selling point and hydrogen is very significant. We are undoubtedly hydrogen pioneers, the first in this space, and we are excited to showcase the potential of an element that, in large parts, remains a hugely untapped resource.
“The large-scale adoption of hydrogen could have enormous benefits not just across motorsport and the automotive industry, but could also unearth a wealth of positive benefits for the future of the planet.”
While similar in appearance to the Extreme E vehicle, the announcement said the Pioneer 25 is a “completely new car”. In development since 2022, the car is designed and manufactured by Spark Racing Technology and equipped with a 75kW hydrogen fuel cell from Symbio, replacing the battery as the principal energy source. The car still has a battery, produced and supported by Fortescue Zero, but it will be powered by the fuel cell.
The Pioneer 25’s peak 400kw (550hp) output is capable of firing the 2,200kg car from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds.
“We’ve learnt a lot from the Odyssey 21, which we have carried forwards, but it’s an all-new chassis and a purpose-built racing car for the hydrogen fuel cell. We wanted the racing to be more intense and we wanted the race cars to be faster,” said technical director Mark Grain.
“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.”
The series will open in Saudi Arabia, as the Extreme E calendar has done in its four previous seasons, before the European leg of the campaign begins in the UK, followed by Germany and Italy. The finale will take place in the US.
“Our sporting format has been tweaked a lot since we first launched, but now we have a formula which works and makes for hugely exciting racing. Our races allow us to engineer the car in a different way, which optimises hydrogen, and delivers a great sporting product,” said Agag.
“As a natural evolution of our mission to showcase cutting-edge climate technology, this shift symbolises a new chapter, and it’s a testament to the championship’s success in advancing e-mobility and extreme motorsport, marking a clear evolution and ensuring pioneering solutions in e-mobility is at the core of our championship long-term.”
The series will also introduce hydrogen technology in its transportation and infrastructure, and will update its refuelling processes and safety regulations.
The Hydrogen Hub, a collaboration with Formula 1 and the FIA, will monitor the progression and development of fuel cells and battery systems, race site infrastructure, transportation, charging, storage and management.
The Pioneer 25’s first public test will take place at Extreme E’s Hydro X Prix in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, next month (13-14 July).
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