Technology in Extreme E

Following the example of Formula E, Extreme E provides all participating teams with a standardized chassis and battery to keep costs as low as possible. The base vehicle is built by Spark Racing Technology, a French company that provides the steel tube frame, suspension and shock absorbers, brakes, steering, and crash structure including the roll cage. The accumulator, like in Formula E, comes from Williams Advanced Engineering. However, this is not the Formula E battery, but a new development for Extreme E.

Each off-road vehicle uses two electric motors that meet the specifications and performance values of the second Formula E generation. The maximum power of the vehicle is 400 kW (544 hp), accelerating the 1,650-kilogram vehicle from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds.

Technical Data, Size & Weight of the Extreme E Car "Odyssey 21"

Development Options for Teams & Manufacturers

Contrary to initial reports that teams and manufacturers would be allowed to develop their own components such as the powertrain, the Extreme E decided in the course of 2020 to provide all parts and thus start the debut season with identical spec vehicles.

Initially, manufacturers were supposed to be allowed to develop the electric motor and inverter themselves. In addition, from the outset there should have been the option to either purchase rival drives as a customer team at a capped fixed price or to use a kind of standard package provided by the Extreme E. The latter option ultimately became the standard for all participating teams.

In order for manufacturers and teams to visually stand out from the competition, they have the option of designing the exterior of their car themselves. In season 1, Chip Ganassi Racing in particular made use of this option and gave its race car a Hummer EV front.

How are Batteries in Extreme E charged?

To develop an environmentally friendly charging technology that also works reliably in the most remote places on earth, Extreme E has commissioned AFC Energy. In February 2021, after six months of development, the company completed a fuel cell system for charging the vehicle batteries. The generator, tailored to the needs of Extreme E, can charge all cars on-site without generating local emissions.

Hydrogen is used to operate the charging stations, which Extreme E brings to the race location together with the cargo. The only by-product of energy generation is chemically pure water, which is to be used for other purposes at each of the races. It is not known how the hydrogen is produced.

In January 2021, the fuel cell system was subjected to an intensive one-month commissioning test, along with tests of the battery management systems (BMS) and the charging infrastructure of the vehicles, at AFC Energy's assembly facility in Surrey, England.