LONDON: The calendar for season two of Extreme E has been announced, with the first race set to take place in the Saudi city of NEOM in February.
The inaugural season of the electric SUV series began in the Kingdom in April, in the desert dunes of AlUla, before heading to four other venues around the world.
The Extreme E championship takes place in off-road locations as part of its mission to drive awareness of climate change issues such as global warming, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, wildfires and extreme weather, while promoting sustainability and the adoption of electric vehicles to help protect the planet.
“After a spectacular opening season we are thrilled to be in a place where we can announce our season two calendar,” said Alejandro Agag, CEO and founder of Extreme E.
“All of us here at Extreme E are looking forward to revisiting some of the amazing race locations from the 2021 season to see for ourselves the positive impact our electric series has had and to see what more we can bring to the communities there,” he added.
“We also very much hope to add South America to our list of continents, and with visits to both Chile and Uruguay planned, it is shaping up to be another exciting season.”
The third race of the campaign, set to take place in July, could see the series visit either Scotland or the more familiar Senegal. Agreements are being finalized and more details will follow.
The Extreme E season two calendar (2022):
Feb. 19-20: NEOM, Saudi Arabia
May 7-8: Sardinia, Italy
July 9-10: Scotland or Senegal
Sept. 10-11: Antofagasta, Chile
Nov. 26-27: Punta del Este, Uruguay
The St. Helena — the former Royal Mail ship — provides the championship’s floating centerpiece, carrying the series’ vehicles, logistics equipment and paddock infrastructure, as well as playing host to scientific research with its on-board laboratory, all in a bid to lower the tour’s environmental impact.
Head-to-head races, individually known as X Prix, take place over two days, within an area no larger than 10 sq. km. Each team fields a male and female driver who each compete over one lap of the course, including a driver switch midway. Course designers have been tasked with carefully selecting options to provide the most challenging and exciting action, using natural obstacles and features with elevation changes and jumps.
Race organizers undertake thorough environmental, social and economic assessments of each location with a local third party in order to ensure best practices. These reports have influenced the way Extreme E operates, from water consumption, waste management and lighting, through to land management and ensuring the series leaves no trace once it has finished.
Extreme E also works with local experts, governments and NGOs to implement positive legacy initiatives at each location. Programs in season one included the funding of a turtle conservation project along the Red Sea coastline, the planting of 1 million mangroves with the nongovernmental organization TO.org and Oceanium in Senegal, cocoa agroforestry and Amazon conservation with the Nature Conservancy in Para state, Brazil, and the creation of a climate education syllabus for more than 3,500 schoolchildren in Greenland with UNICEF.