In late 2018, Extreme E Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag met with motor racing legend, and good friend, Gil de Ferran for breakfast. Over coffee, the pair dreamt up the idea of a spectacular, captivating, narrative-driven adventure ready to tell the story of the effects of climate change and human activity on stunning, remote locations around the globe through world-class sport.
Inspired by the documentaries of French
explorer Jacques Cousteau, Agag set the wheels in motion. By January 2019, the team launched Extreme E aboard the series’ unique floating paddock – RMS St. Helena – its modern-day ‘Calypso’.
"The ocean and exploration captivated me as a kid,” Alejandro said at the Extreme E launch on the River Thames in London. “Jacques Cousteau made me dream because he had a boat – the Calypso. My dream is that St. Helena becomes the Calypso of the 21st century. The ship will be the base for a huge adventure set to showcase, not only the beautiful, damaged environments we’ll visit, but also the huge challenges that our planet faces."
Inspired by the documentaries of French
explorer Jacques Cousteau, Agag set the wheels in motion. By January 2019, the team launched Extreme E aboard the series’ unique floating paddock – RMS St. Helena – its modern-day ‘Calypso’.
"The ocean and exploration captivated me as a kid,” Alejandro said at the Extreme E launch on the River Thames in London. “Jacques Cousteau made me dream because he had a boat – the Calypso. My dream is that St. Helena becomes the Calypso of the 21st century. The ship will be the base for a huge adventure set to showcase, not only the beautiful, damaged environments we’ll visit, but also the huge challenges that our planet faces."
Next came the series ODYSSEY 21 – an all-electric 400kw (550hp), 1650-kilogram, 2.3-metre wide beast capable of firing from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds, at gradients of up to 130 percent. The innovative E-SUV was turned from drawing to reality by Spark Racing Technology in under two months – ready for its maiden public run, up the famed hill-climb at The Goodwood Festival of Speed in summer 2019.
Rounding out the series’ first 12 months Extreme E’s five-race global voyage, with its Rainforest, Desert, Coastal, Arctic and Mountain rounds unveiled in December 2019.
CLIMATE CHANGE
“In a little under a year, I saw the impacts of climate change first-hand and met the people experiencing the effects,” said Alejandro. “For anyone that denies its existence or is unaware of the problems it is causing – join us on this journey.
“We’ve accomplished so much in a short space of time but we’re just at the start. We were little more than an idea on a napkin back in January 2019 and now Extreme E is real – a special, unprecedented odyssey which will drive real change.”
