Extreme H is the evolution of the current Extreme E series for spec battery-electric offroad vehicles into a series for ones that use an onboard hydrogen-fed fuel cell to create the necessary electrical power. This spec fuel-cell vehicle is an all-new design, which was unveiled in late June and is scheduled to start testing in July.
The Extreme H offroad vehicle is known as the Pioneer 25. For the 2025 season it will replace the Odyssey 21, which had a peak output of 400 kW (536 bhp) to take the 1895 kg, 2.3 m-wide, SUV-style, four-wheel-drive vehicle from 0-100 kph in 4.5 seconds. The Odyssey 21 had a powertrain developed by Spark Racing Technology, with the battery supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering.
Extreme H reports that the Pioneer 25 has been in development ever since the switch to hydrogen was announced in 2022. The car is equipped with a 75 kW hydrogen fuel cell from Symbio, which, we are told, replaces a battery as the principal energy source. Symbio fuel-cell technology is already being used behind the scenes in Extreme E, where it provides the energy source to recharge the vehicle’s batteries between runs.
Carried onboard the Pioneer 25, its hydrogen fuel cell powers a battery pack that is produced and supported trackside by Fortescue ZERO. Like the Odyssey 21, the vehicle has peak power of 400 kW, which is capable of accelerating the new 2200 kg, 2.4 m-wide, four-wheel-drive race car from 0-100 kph in 4.5 seconds. Chassis developments ensure the Pioneer 25 will lap any given course faster than the Odyssey.
Extreme H reports that the latest fuel-cell technology “has undergone an intensive testing programme equivalent to three seasons of racing in readiness for its debut campaign”.
Extreme H founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said: “Our evolution to Extreme H makes us the first-ever testbed of hydrogen technology in motorsport – not only in our racing cars, but also transportation, infrastructure, refuelling processes and safety regulations. It’s a ground-breaking initiative. Our racing series has always been unique, but its future as Extreme H undoubtedly marks Racing’s New Frontier.”