Created by Alejandro Agag and Gil de Ferran, the all-new Extreme E electric off-road racing series, in association with Formula E, has been launched in London, with its inaugural season set to commence in 2021.
Extreme E, which will showcase electric SUV vehicles racing in extreme environments, aims to show the prowess of said vehicles, however, aims to highlight the challenges that ecosystems face, competing in locations that are under threat from climate change.
Through the demonstration of performance from electric vehicles in difficult environments such as the Arctic, the Himalayas, the Sahara desert, Amazon Rainforest and islands in the Indian Ocean, Extreme E aims to raise global awareness of ever-present world problems including deforestation and rising sea levels.
Using the expertise of award-winning filmmaker Fisher Stevens, Extreme E will be recorded as a 'docu-sport' TV series and will use the RMS St. Helena as what the championship has likened to a 'floating paddock', transporting all equipment to each location by sea.
“I’ve always been passionate about progressing electric vehicle technology and the impact that clean mobility solutions can have on the efforts to halt global climate change," said Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Formula E Holdings.
"I strongly believe that Extreme E can help make the world more sustainable faster, and we have a dream team to make this ambition a reality.
"Gil de Ferran is a leader in the world of motorsport, and in David de Rothschild [Chief Explorer of Extreme E] and Fisher Stevens, Extreme E has attracted two of the best in their respective fields.
"Likewise, welcoming Continental Tyres as a founding partner and CBMM as niobium supplier is a huge boost to Extreme E and shows the strong commercial appetite for this sustainable sport and entertainment concept."
Operated in association with Formula E, Extreme E will adopt a 'round-robin' format, with two groups of six teams, the top four of which progress to a knock-out stage, with each driver competing head-to-head for a spot in the final.
Each stage will be between 6-10km in length, with drivers having to navigate a route, labelled by a number of virtual gates.
Gil de Ferran, Chairman of Extreme E, hailed the series as an exciting project, describing it as having a unique blend of sport, adventure and entertainment:
"This is a hugely exciting project," he said. "Extreme E offers a unique sport, adventure and entertainment concept that has never been seen or done before.
"Viewers can expect a completely new way of consuming sport, with each episode telling not just the story of a race, but the wider race of awareness and the need to protect these remote and challenging environments being explored by Extreme E."
