What is Extreme E?
We’ve just experienced the birth of an epic new motorsport that is full of character and personality– Formula E. It’s everything we’ve wanted from Formula E. Its cars are produced by the same company that develops Formula E cars, but it’s sanctioned by the FIA– the governing body for Formula 1. It truly may just be all things to all motorsports fans. Here’s the breakdown of why you should watch it.
Epic Locations
In it’s inaugural 2021 season, Extreme E has already given us a race weekend in a landscape with epic proportions. The Desert X Prix took place in Alula, Saudi Arabia, and it was spectacular. Like something out of a Star Wars movie or a race on Mars, Extreme E’s model of racing in extreme locations means that we will experience an adventure like none other as we progress through the season. The series is set to complete 5 total race weekends, each in very remote parts of the world that highlight environmental causes.
While most petrolheads would be uninterested in a documentary highlighting a melting glacier, a beach full of plastic pollution, or a drying desert, it’s hard not to be drawn in when you are witnessing some exhilarating racing right in the middle of these places. It’s almost as if an environmentalist and a petrolhead sat down and the environmentalist said, “Let’s make a series highlighting environmental issues and global warming threats”, and then the petrolhead said “Alright, but can we at least race there?” What we’re left with is something that is almost fantasy-like. A cinematic race weekend, not battled on a track or 10 miles outside the nearest city, but in places that we’ve really never seen cars before. By the time it finishes, the 2021 season will have covered 5 major environments: a drying desert landscape, a beach threatened by plastic and rising sea levels, a glacial moraine carved from a receding glacier, a threatened Amazonian rainforest, and a Patagonian mountainside.
Insane Performance
Let’s get one thing straight: These cars are VERY impressive. They’re technically SUV’s because they don’t have any form of rear load bed like a truck. But that’s fine by me. They’re very purpose-built, and with 385mm of suspension travel (roughly 15 inches for us Americans), the car can push down into any sand or gravel, land some impressive jumps, and throw itself over any obstacle in front of it. It’s really impressive when you consider that it only weighs slightly more than a Porsche 911 Turbo S and is all-electric. It’s very interesting watching these cars and how they manage the terrain, especially from an electric drive that delivers all of its torque at once and at any speed.
The cars are manufactured for each team by Spark Racing Technology, and share many similar components with their Formula E cars. Where they differ is largely in the chassis and crash structure, but the heart of the car– the battery design and electric motors– are pretty much the same. The car is thus capable of producing the electric equivalent of 550 horsepower.
Driver Lineup
The Extreme E driver lineup and driver requirements are quite exciting as well. The sport has big names in motorsports acting as both owners and drivers, such as Carlos Sainz Sr. and Jenson Button. Lewis Hamilton also owns the X44 team, and Mario Andretti’s racing brand owns the Andretti United Extreme E team as well. There is quite a talented pool of drivers, and the driver requirements are also very interesting as well.
| Source: Extreme E.
The Extreme E organization requires that each team has two drivers, and that each team is comprised of one male and one female driver. This is intentionally done to diversify the sport, but political issues aside, it makes for some amazing opportunities to discover new talent. Catie Munnings put on an amazing show during Saturday qualifying of the first race weekend when her tire was punctured mid-course and she wrestled her crabbing super-SUV through clouds of dust to nail a 2nd fastest lap time. There’s excitement in diversity and oddly, you don’t feel like this is apolitical statement because all of the drivers on the grid are incredibly talented. The diversity is quite refreshing and creates a really unique team dynamic and atmosphere for the sport.
The diversity rules in Extreme E are obvious, but they don’t distract from the raw talent and personality of the lineup. In fact, I would argue that the charisma of the sport is in a league of its own.
Sound
It certainly seems weird to talk about sound, especially when it comes to an electric vehicle-centric sport. However, the sounds broadcast by the speed and dirt-thrashing action of Extreme E races was quite surprising. You still get a high-pitched whine from the electric motors in the Odyssey 21 cars, but the sound is noticeably duller and less squealy. Your ears don’t bleed when the motors ramp up to maximum rpm, much like they do in Formula E. But I was blown away by something quite extraordinary about Extreme E: The External Sounds. I would argue that there is about a 60-40 balance of sounds between the car and the sounds of all that is happening on or around the car. Yes, you hear a lot of whining from the electric motors, but because these cars don’t have internal combustion engines with loud exhausts, these other noises are more prominent. You can hear the wind rushing past, the rocks flying, the suspension creaking, and the dust swirling. The noises around the car created by sending it at 120 miles per hour through the wilderness is insane, and listening to these races is an auditory experience like none other.
Great-Looking Cars
This may be somewhat controversial, but the Odyssey 21 cars are quite good-looking, especially out in such rough environments. The cars look like a Porsche Taycan hulked out and converted from its Bruce Banner to its beast form. They’re sleek and look absolutely stunning. Their minimalist design with a single overhead air intake for cooling really indicate high speed and performance, even while standing still. These cars have such clean body lines and minimal design, which contrasts beautifully on a remote wilderness course. Overall, the design is spot-on and especially attractive. It certainly makes me want to buy one.
Sustainability
This sport certainly touts its sustainable mission, but it doesn’t in any way impede the excitement of the sport and competition. The sport is 100% committed to being a net zero carbon motorsport, and specifically hosts all of its races at locations around the globe that have already been damaged or impacted by climate change and/or human interference. All 9 teams and cars travel the world together, and cross oceans together on one cargo ship, reducing the logistics carbon footprint of the sport by up to 79%. It’s a unique approach that pushes sustainability and an electric vehicle future while still engaging petrolheads and motorsports enthusiasts.
I would strongly recommend watching the first round of Extreme E in the Saudi Arabian desert if you have not already. This sport is in its earliest stages, but I have no doubt in my mind that this is the next great Motorsport next to Formula 1. What are your thoughts? Have you heard of extreme E before? Are you looking forward to seeing more? Let me know what you think in the comments below! Also, if you’re interested in learning more about Extreme E racing, here is the link to their website below:
Driver Mentality 