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36 min ago 2 min read
The hydrogen-powered motorsport world championship will return to Saudi Arabia in October for its second edition.
Qiddiya City will host the FIA Extreme E World Cup from 29 to 31 October, following its inaugural event .
The competition, billed as a way to advance hydrogen mobility, sees eight two-driver teams undertake three race formats across four events to decide the winner.
President of the global motorsport body, the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, said the event provided an “important platform” to test hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Teams must progress through time trial and head-to-head racing over three days to determine grid position for an eight-car final.
All the teams use the same hydrogen fuel cell car – the Pioneer 25 – which uses 2kg of hydrogen and a 75kW to deliver 400kW of peak output and 0–100km per hour in 4.5 seconds.
Last year’s world champions, Kevin Hansen and Molly Taylor of Jameel Motorsport, will return in October to defend their title.
Full teams and driver pairings are expected to be confirmed in the months preceding the event.
It falls against a backdrop of high scepticism about hydrogen’s use in wider mobility.
Hydrogen mobility projects have faced mounting scrutiny over infrastructure costs, fuel availability and efficiency losses compared with battery-electric systems, particularly in passenger vehicles.
Organisers say the series is intended to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel-cell systems for mobility applications.
