New Extreme E series launched ahead of 2021 debut

A new, sister series to Formula E named 'Extreme E' was launched in London on Thursday ahead of its planned racing debut in 2021.

Extreme E will see manufacturers and teams race electric-powered SUVs in some of the toughest environments in the world, taking place in locations already affected by climate change to highlight the impact of global warming.

The new series will debut in January 2021, staging five events per year. These are planned to take place in the Arctic, the Himalayas, the Sahara desert, the Amazon rainforest and islands in the Indian Ocean.

A fresh approach to broadcasting the series will also be taken, captured as a 'docu-sport' that will be shown in a series of episodes towards the end of the year. The season is due to run from January to August before being shown in October and November, with each race being made up of four stages from 6-10 km.

The series was launched by Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag and McLaren Racing sporting director Gil de Ferran, who will serve as Extreme E's chairman, upon the RMS St Helena (pictured above), a former Royal Mail ship that will become the series' base and 'floating paddock', travelling around the world.

Extreme E will also be supported by Academy Award-winning director Fisher Stevens, who will be its creative director, and David de Rothschild, who will serve as the series' chief explorer.

"I’ve always been passionate about progressing electric vehicle technology and the impact that clean mobility solutions can have on the efforts to halt global climate change. I strongly believe that Extreme E can help make the world more sustainable faster, and we have a dream team to make this ambition a reality," Agag said.

"Gil de Ferran is a leader in the world of motorsport, and in David de Rothschild and Fisher Stevens, Extreme E has attracted two of the best in their respective fields. Likewise, welcoming Continental Tyres as a founding partner - and CBMM as niobium supplier - is a huge boost to Extreme E and shows the strong commercial appetite for this sustainable sport and entertainment concept."

The series is already fully-funded, with Agag being one of the investors. The Spaniard will take over the day-to-day running of Extreme E once he is replaced as Formula E CEO and steps up as chairman for the all-electric single-seater series.

Twelve teams are targeted for the debut season, which will begin in January 2021, with nine manufacturers attending the afternoon launch event on Monday in London. However, Agag stressed the series would go ahead without the full complement of manufacturers, with independent teams also welcome to compete.