Extreme H Tests The Limits Of Fuel Cells And Green Hydrogen

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Formula E racing burst upon the motorsports scene back in 2015, aimed at testing the limits of battery-electric vehicles. Now the founder of the FIA-approved series, Alejandro Agag, is giving fuel cells an opportunity to show off. His latest project, the hydrogen fuel cell-only racing series Extreme H, is on track for a 2025 launch hitting Saudi Arabia, the UK, Germany, and Italy before winding up in the US.

Where Are The Fuel Cells?

Those of you following Agag’s ventures in all-electric motorsports will not be surprised to see fuel cells make their way to the front. Always looking to push the boundaries of energy storage, Agag was not put off by the relatively short range of EV batteries when he launched the first Formula E racing series in 2015. Instead of stopping for a recharge, each racing team fielded two identical cars — including identical tires — and swapped them out as needed.

“If you’re wondering about battery range, the thinkers and doers behind Formula E wanted to make the races long enough to be interesting, which complicates things in terms of refueling,” I noted in a preview of the inaugural 2015 season. “For the first season, rather than slowing things down to a crawl by stopping for a recharge, the Formula E teams are switching entire cars.”

Simply swapping out the battery was another option, but the state of battery swapping technology was not racing-ready back in 2013, when Agag first announced his vision for Formula E (the technology has improved since then — see more EV battery swapping background here).

Here Are The Fuel Cells

Agag already had fuel cells on his mind back in 2014, when he made an appearance at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit in New York City.

“Energy storage was front and center in Agag’s discussion,” I reported for CleanTechnica from the BNEF Summit. “While much of the Formula E technology has counterparts in Formula 1, the Formula E battery is still not ready for prime time in terms of capacity.”

“The name of the game is still the battery, or maybe fuel cells, or supercapacitors. We are waiting for that breakthrough in storage,” Agag emphasized.

Agag gave fuel cells a trial run in the Extreme E series. The followup to Formula E, Extreme E showcases the off-road performance of battery-electric SUVs. That includes finding someplace off-grid to recharge. To get that done, Extreme E deploys a transportable off-grid charging station powered by hydrogen fuel cells, with the hydrogen sourced onsite by solar-powered electrolysis systems.

That’s not quite the same as using fuel cells to run an electric racing car around a track. However, the charging station demonstration fulfilled a key goal, with Extreme E noting that it showcases “the vast potential for today’s newest clean power technologies to displace polluting diesel generators that are responsible for a large proportion of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.”

And, Here Is The Pioneer 25 Fuel Cell EV

As described by the Extreme E team, fuel cells will more than make up for lost time when the Extreme H series kicks off next year.

Extreme E unveiled the new Extreme H racing car last summer under the name of Pioneer 25. Each team will field an almost identical version of the Pioneer 25, with just a few areas open for variation.

“One open area for teams is the ability to redesign front and rear bodywork and lights in order to replicate the look of everyday car models,” Extreme E explained.

That reference to “everyday car models” may seem somewhat less than exciting in terms of motorsports. However, it evokes the off-the-shelf appeal of the US organization NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing), and it reaffirms Agag’s commitment to exposing the car-buying public to up-and-coming vehicle electrification technology.

Spark Racing Technology is credited with engineering the new car, featuring a hydrogen Symbio fuel cell. “The Pioneer 25’s peak 400kW (550hp) output is capable of firing the 2200 kilogram, 2.4 metre-wide race car from 0-100kph in 4.5 seconds and scale gradients of up to 130 percent,” Extreme E explains.

As is common in the fuel cell EV field, Pioneer 25 sports a battery pack in addition to the fuel cell. “The hydrogen fuel cell powers the battery pack that is produced and supported trackside by Fortescue ZERO,” Extreme E notes.

As for why not just use fuel cells, that’s a good question. The US Department of Energy lists various reasons why batteries play a role in fuel cell EVs, such as recapturing energy from braking, providing extra power during short acceleration events, “smoothing out” power from fuel cells, and providing the option to turn the fuel cell off when the opportunity presents itself. Truck makers and other automotive stakeholders are also beginning to explore the potential for fuel cells to act as range extenders for battery EVs.

Where’s That Fuel Cell Car Of The Future?

Despite the shoutout to everyday cars, Extreme H is not focused on kickstarting the mass market for street-legal fuel cell cars, at least not yet. At the present time, heavy-duty trucks, construction vehicles, and similar applications are considered the low hanging fruit for fuel cells due to their larger power requirements.

The hydrogen supply chain will also needs a makeover. Green hydrogen from water electrolysis is expensive, which is not an issue for niche applications like motorsports. The mass market is a different story altogether. At the present time, the primary source of inexpensive hydrogen on the global market is natural gas, with coal playing a secondary part. The green hydrogen industry would have to scale up and bring costs down in order to compete.

For the most part, Extreme H aims to carve out a niche for zero emission fuel cells as the motorsports field begins transitioning into a low-carbon model. “The Pioneer 25 racing car … is designed to demonstrate the viability and performance capabilities of hydrogen fuel cells, setting a new standard for eco-friendly motorsport,” Extreme E explains.

“It’s important for every motorsport series to have a unique selling point and hydrogen is very significant,” Agag emphasizes, though he also notes that the benefits could ripple beyond motorsports.

“Our evolution to Extreme H makes us the first-ever testbed of hydrogen technology in motorsport — not only in our racing cars, but also transportation, infrastructure, refuelling processes and safety regulations,” he adds for good measure.

That ripple effect is already evident in various hydrogen hub projects taking shape here in the US and around the world. That includes the Kingdom of Monaco, which hosted a publicity event featuring the Pioneer 25 earlier this week. The event was timed to coincide with an annual meeting of the Monaco Hydrogen Alliance, which is on a mission to leverage the tiny country’s high profile in support of the global green hydrogen industry.

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Photo (cropped): Fuel cells provide the power for the new Pioneer 25 Extreme H race car, featured in a publicity event in Monaco earlier this week (courtesy of Extreme E).