The fuel cell in Extreme H’s race car produces 75kW and replaces the battery as the main energy source. Symbio, the company that builds it, was named the series’ official hydrogen fuel cell provider in February 2024, a year before racing began.
Extreme H is the hydrogen successor to Extreme E, the off-road electric series founded by Formula E’s Alejandro Agag. It was billed as the world’s first hydrogen off-road racing series. Symbio is co-owned by Forvia, Michelin and Stellantis, and it makes its cells at the SymphonHy Gigafactory, which it calls the largest integrated fuel cell production site in Europe.
The car
The car is called the Pioneer 25. Spark Racing Technology designed and built it, and it was unveiled in front of global media aboard the series’ St. Helena vessel, with London’s Tower Bridge behind it. Red Bull livery marked its arrival as the series’ energy drink partner.
The numbers are big. Peak output is 400kW, or 550hp. The car weighs 2,200 kilograms and is 2.4 metres wide, yet it reaches 100kph from a standstill in 4.5 seconds and can climb gradients of up to 130 per cent. The fuel cell feeds a battery pack supplied and supported trackside by Fortescue ZERO. Before its debut, the car went through a testing programme equal to three seasons of racing.
Teams get a standard package of parts from Spark. The one open area is bodywork and lights, which they can redesign to echo everyday car models.
Mark Grain, technical director at Extreme E, said the Pioneer 25 is an all-new chassis, not a reworked Odyssey 21. “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,” he said.
Why race it
Symbio sees the series as a test bench. Its statement called motorsport “a unique laboratory in extreme and real-life conditions.” Serge Grisin, the company’s motorsport director, said power density and efficiency matter as much in racing as in heavy mobility.
The conditions are harsh. Extreme E’s earlier races ran across army training areas, sand deserts and near glaciers. The hydrogen for the new series was to come from green sources, made with solar power and water.
The first calendar listed 10 rounds across five locations. The season was to open in Saudi Arabia, then move to the U.K., Germany for the first time, and Italy, with the finale in the U.S.A. The maiden season was scheduled to start in April 2025, and the FIA planned to make the series a World Championship from 2026.
Sources
- Extreme H pioneering hydrogen racing car unveiled
- Symbio to become Extreme H Official Hydrogen Fuel Cell Provider from 2025 | Symbio
- Extreme H: Pushing Hydrogen Power to Extremes
Sources
- Extreme H pioneering hydrogen racing car unveiled
- Symbio to become Extreme H Official Hydrogen Fuel Cell… | Symbio
