11/21/2023 0 Comments Extreme e series![]() ![]() How did it do? Well, it properly pretzelled my brain and left me wanting more. I’ve found the new-fangled all-terrain electric offshoot of Formula E equally fascinating and beguiling since first hearing rumours of it a few years ago. And not just because it’s my job to do so. This weekend saw the inaugural Extreme E race take place in Saudi Arabia. ![]() But I also took time to literally watch new ground being broken. That’s what competitive motorsport is about, after all.Like many, I spent most of my Easter bank holiday weekend topping up my stomach with a never-ending emulsion of beer and Creme Egg goo. Its switch to hydrogen-powered racing cars may not mirror what most people drive in the future, but it will be fun to watch how Extreme H develops, particularly against rapidly improving pure battery-powered racing. But Extreme E is all about pushing the limits of the possible. ![]() Neom in Saudi Arabia has chosen battery-electric for its city vehicles, although it will be receiving some BMW iX5 Hydrogen cars soon to test those as well. Let's see.”Įven ENOWA, Extreme E’s primary partner for hydrogen technology, is skeptical about whether hydrogen will be used in personal transport. So that's where the balance is, but we don't give up. We may have to make a whole new ship, which would have a huge carbon footprint. But I don't know if we can retrofit the St Helena. “We're talking with some partners about exploring the possibility of cracking methanol into hydrogen on the ship. “Hydrogen technology is the one that can power ships,” says Agag. Right now, although the ship has lower emissions than moving everything via air freight, the St Helena still uses fossil fuel for power. James MorrisĮxtreme E is also looking at turning its ship the St Helena into a hydrogen-powered transportation system. The Extreme E ship St Helena still uses fossil fuel, but may transition to hydrogen power in the. The initial Extreme H cars will have two 1kg hydrogen tanks, but the battery size hasn’t been decided yet and may get smaller as the series develops. The BMW iX5 Hydrogen has a small battery with a high-power output precisely for this reason. That would be particularly difficult in motorsport, so the battery provides the necessary throttle response for acceleration and is then replenished by braking and the fuel cell when speed is more constant. Although this is improving, FCEVs have a lag associated with their power delivery, where BEVs have immediate torque. Like other Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), they will have a battery on board. The full specification of the Extreme H cars is still being developed. When Extreme H arrives, some of the hydrogen produced by Kaizen’s technology will be used directly to fuel the cars. But Kaizen Energy has now been enlisted to supply hydrogen in methanol form for locations where a local supply of pure hydrogen is unavailable. “ENOWA has always been our hydrogen partner,” says Agag. Extreme H will be part of this experiment with clean energy supply. The race series has been using it as an off-grid power source since the beginning, and in Neom this year the racing event was entirely powered by Hydrogen. James MorrisĮxtreme E’s relationship with hydrogen goes far beyond the cars themselves, however. The Neom, Saudi Arabia Extreme E race is already entirely powered by hydrogen. ![]() In theory that would be carbon neutral, too.” Obviously, that would be pushing the argument a little too far for comfort. In theory, oil comes from forests that absorbed CO2 millions of years ago, which you are releasing back to the atmosphere. If you want to believe that you can.” This is the theory of e-fuels, where the CO2 emitted was captured beforehand by plants or carbon capture. “But the leaves of the plant of the cigar in Cuba has absorbed CO2 that I'm releasing. “I smoke cigars, and people say they are emitting CO2,” he says. But the technology is not ready yet, so we cannot go racing next year with combustion of hydrogen because there is more development to do.”Īgag also isn’t convinced by the carbon neutrality of combustion e-fuels. Having a testbed of commercial hydrogen will be very useful. Combustion of hydrogen could be the solution in the future. The price of e-fuels is going to be for special situations. I think maybe e-fuels, but this is a technology that is very niche and Formula One for me shouldn't be niche, it should be a technology that can be deployed for mass adoption. But I will be very surprised if they're not combustion. They will have new regulations in 2030 to 35. “They have the regulations now already set for 2024, 25 and 26. “What's Formula One going to do in the future technology-wise, in 2035?” asks Agag. Every motor racing format is struggling with these questions. ![]()
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