You’ve seen Extreme E, now say hello to hydrogen-powered Extreme H

Extreme E boss Alejandro Agag has announced a plan to launch a hydrogen-powered version of the 550bhp Odyssey 21 off-road racer, with an Extreme H championship set to begin in 2024. 

“Extreme E was designed to be a testbed for innovation and solutions for mobility,” said Agag. “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.”

A hydrogen fuel cell would replace the batteries in the current Extreme E racer, with green hydrogen (created using a combination of solar and water) sourced to power the electric motors.

The change to the powertrain should mean that the Odyssey 21s can run for longer than 20 minutes – their current BEV limit – although how the championship would work is yet to be decided. 

Agag said: “Together 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.”

Development for the Extreme H car is apparently underway already, though, with a prototype set to be launched in early 2023. Thoughts, Internet?