Alejandro Agag is the mastermind behind Formula E and Extreme E, a pair of FIA-sanctioned electric racing series. Now, he wants to do the same for another growing alternative fuel: hydrogen.
On Friday, ahead of Extreme E’s season-opening Desert X Prix, Agag announced the formation of a hydrogen-powered companion series to Extreme E aptly called Extreme H. The championship will launch in 2024 and be generally the same as its electric counterpart save for the obvious difference in power source.
“Extreme E was designed to be a testbed for innovation and solutions for mobility,” Agag said Friday. “It has become increasingly clear to us that creating a hydrogen racing series is a natural evolution of our mission to showcase the possibilities of new technologies in the race to fight climate issues.T ogether with the current Extreme E teams, we will decide in the coming months the best way to integrate the hydrogen-powered cars into the racing weekend. Two separate categories, full transition to Hydrogen or joint racing are all options on the table.”
Hydrogen has been growing in popularity as one of various alternative fuel sources for both racing and production vehicles, especially as a fuel cell over an internal combustion engine though both exist. In a fuel cell, hydrogen only produces water when consumed and requires little energy compared to an ICE. In the 2021 Fuji 24 Hours, Rookie Racing fielded a Toyota Corolla Sport that used a turbocharged hydrogen engine, completing half as many laps as the overall winner; Toyota has also produced the Toyota Mirai HCEV (Hydrogen Cell Electric Vehicle) for street purposes since 2014. In 2019, H24Racing was formed in a partnership between the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and GreenGT with the goal of fielding an electric/hydrogen car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans by 2024. HWA AG, an ex-Formula E team with close ties to Mercedes AMG, intends to launch the HYRAZE League hydrogen sports car series in 2023.
In the off-road realm, January’s Dakar Rally saw GCK Motorsport reveal a prototype of its e-Blast H2, an SUV with a full hydrogen fuel cell that will enter the 2024 race, the first with an alternative fuel category. GCK previously ran the e-Blast 1 whose fuel cell is a hybrid of electric and hydrogen energy. Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus is also developing the Glickenhaus 010 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Boot Zero-Emission, a buggy with a giant hydrogen tank attached to the rear that SCG hopes to run in November’s Baja 1000.
Even Agag’s electric racing projects have some hydrogen integration. Speculation has surrounded Formula E’s future fourth-generation car (the series is set to début its Gen-3 car for the 2022/23 season) potentially having a hydrogen fuel cell. Extreme E’s Odyssey 21 car is charged using a hydrogen generator built by AFC Energy, which allows it to be refuelled with no emissions.
“I think it’s a good idea to have a new championship with hydrogen in close contact with Extreme E,” commented ABT CUPRA XE driver and reigning Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah. “I think it will be interesting to see how well the new event goes. I hope everybody will enjoy it and it will also be fascinating for the manufacturers. There has been some pressure for hydrogen to be a part of the motorsport world, and I think it is a good idea so we’ll see what we can do.”
While there are still two more years until the scheduled launch, a prototype of the Extreme H car is expected to be revealed in early 2023.