Extreme E, a competition with an important heritage

Sport is more than competition. He knows CUPRA, a brand with a clear commitment to electrification and sustainability. It is therefore no coincidence that the Spanish firm is present at Extreme E, a competition that MD visited this weekend to witness live the exciting electric raid races. This is a championship where Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg they have their own teams, and where there are pilots of dakariana stature Laia Sanz and Cristina Gutierrezas well as the Mattias Ekstrom, Johan Kristoffersson or the CUPRA driver and current Dakar champion, Nasser Al-Attiyah. MD went to Scotland, to Hydro XPrix. The name of the event relates to the main theme of this text and explains the purpose pursued by this competition beyond the sporting event itself.

The Extreme E races in some of the most remote and wild places on the planet. As its CEO said, Alexander Agagto a small group of journalists where MD was present, his priority is to find locations that have “a story” that needs to be told to the world.

Extreme E goes to places that are more sensitive to the effects of climate change and wants to be a spokesperson and help change things.

It shows the power of its electric vehiclescolorful, stable and wild machine, with a 400 kW battery and with a power of 550 CV, capable of going from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.5 seconds. Some monsters. And if these ‘bugs’ compete in short sleeves, face to face, with constant touching and poking, guaranteed action. It serves to try to attract the viewer with the ultimate goal of explaining a powerful and necessary “message”.

gg.didomi.doWhenConsent(!window.didomiBypass, ‘c:twitterwi-wUmBnnKy’, function () {
var x = document.createElement(‘script’);
x.setAttribute(“type”,”text/javascript”);
x.setAttribute(“src”, “//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”);
x.setAttribute(“charset”, “utf-8”);
$(“.twitter-tweet”).closest( “span” ).append(x);
});

Above all, the competition wants to explain real cases of areas affected by climate change, but also aims to create visible innovative technologies that can reduce carbon emissions and help the planet. And what was seen in Scotland is a good example of their intentions.

A coal mine in full swing

Extreme E moved to Glenmuckloch, a former coal mine in the middle of vast fields in a rural area where thousands and thousands of sheep graze. There, the black color stands out against the eye-catching green of an old open-air mine. It is the past, but also the future.

The same mining site is now in the process of being converted into a reversible hydroelectric plant. On both the black stones in the county of Dumfries and Galloway the cars raced this weekend to let this action know the world. But also, to publicize another big problem that exists in Scotland: the Atlantic salmoncurrently at risk.

This species has decreased by more than half in the last 10 years for several reasons: the increase in the temperature of the river Nith, place where salmon lay their eggs. And the large amount of sediment that falls into the water when the water rises in the winter as a result of erosion is what ends up drowning those eggs.

so, Extreme E supported the Nith River restoration plan with the aim of ensuring the conservation of Atlantic salmon. It is planned the planting 1,200 native trees that will shade the water to reduce its temperature and also prevent the entry of sediments caused by erosion in the river.

so, Before the race, the drivers of all the teams were seen participating in the planting of trees that in a few years could become the key to this area. In total, 1,2000 trees are planned to be planted and a fence built as part of an environmental protection program run by the Nith Catchment Fishery Trust.

The Santa Helena, flagship

There is another point that explains the work that Extreme E wants to spread. It has the name Saint Helena. We are referring to the former Royal Mail passenger freight, completely renovated to make it sustainable, which is the real ‘headquarters’ of this competition. Extreme E can make many more appointments at its venues and increase its benefits, no doubt. But Alejandro Agag doesn’t plan to think only of business. Not at any price. It is clear that it will not have a 15-date calendar like other championships. “5 is fine.” Because? The reason is Saint Helena.

gg.didomi.doWhenConsent(!window.didomiBypass, ‘c:twitterwi-wUmBnnKy’, function () {
var x = document.createElement(‘script’);
x.setAttribute(“type”,”text/javascript”);
x.setAttribute(“src”, “//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”);
x.setAttribute(“charset”, “utf-8”);
$(“.twitter-tweet”).closest( “span” ).append(x);
});

This ship is in charge of bringing all the necessary infrastructure to carry out the races, to such an extent that the cars also sleep and travel there for months, from the end of an appointment until they reach their destination for the start of another weekend of races. The time that passes from one race to another is clearly defined by how long it takes the boat to go from one place to another. There is no car on the plane to go fast around a circuit like other championships like F1 do.

Other than that, the ship’s engines have been upgraded to run on low sulfur marine diesel, and its propellers and hull have been designed to reduce water friction and increase the ship’s efficiency in relation to its emissions. And as a climax, it should be noted that theThe pool that once housed this ship has been replaced by a scientific laboratory for long-distance research.

Extreme E is competition, spectacle, and ultimately, sport, but with one clear pillar: the future. That goes through sustainability and electrification, although Alejandro Agag is already looking beyond. As he admitted this Saturday in Scotland, he is already thinking about the next step, the introduction of hydrogen in this contest in a short time.