# AFC Energy and Extreme E Unveil Pioneering Hydrogen Fuel Cell System

- Link: https://www.directorstalkinterviews.com/afc-energy-and-extreme-e-unveil-pioneering-hydrogen-fuel-cell-system/412956871
- Published: 2021-01-28T07:12:25+00:00
- Author: Giles

**AFC Energy plc** (LON:AFC), a leading provider of hydrogen power generation technologies,
has unveiled its new, zero emission power generator to be featured in the inaugural
Extreme E electric SUV racing series that begins in April 2021. 

**Highlights**

●     Extreme E’s radical new all electric off-road racing series aims to highlight
the impact of climate change on some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems.

●     In July 2020, Extreme E and AFC Energy entered a world first collaboration
to power Season 1 race vehicles through adoption of the Company’s proprietary, zero
emission, hydrogen fuel cell technology.

●     Following six months of collaborative engineering and design, AFC Energy’s
Hydrogen power generator has been successfully commissioned, on schedule, and is
to be handed over to Extreme E this week. 

●     Inspected in person by Extreme E’s Engineering team, the fuel cell system 
has been configured to operate across desert, arctic and high-altitude locations.
It will power all of the Championship’s ODYSSEY 21 electric SUVs in its inaugural
season of racing.

●     Extreme E and AFC Energy’s partnership will showcase to a worldwide audience
of over 200 million the potential for Hydrogen to afford a viable alternative to
polluting diesel generators.    

●     The fuel cell system will now be transported to Extreme E’s floating centrepiece,
St. Helena, for shipment to the championship’s first race in AlUla, Saudi Arabia
for the Desert X-Prix scheduled for the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of April. 

Today, Extreme E and AFC Energy unveil the Hydrogen fuel cell power system that 
will be used to sustainably charge the Championship’s ODYSSEY 21 electric SUVs in
its inaugural season of racing. 

The AFC Energy designed and built system will highlight to Extreme E’s global audience
the vast potential for today’s newest clean power technologies to displace polluting
diesel generators, to which a large quantity of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions
can be attributed.   

Engineered to withstand some of the world’s harshest environmental conditions, AFC
Energy’s specially modified fuel cell system will power vehicles across five continents
in Extreme E’s first season, including race locations in the Arctic, Amazon Rainforest,
Sahara Desert and the heights of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.  

Following six months of collaborative engineering with Extreme E’s utilities team,
the fuel cell system has undergone a month of intensive commissioning in January
at AFC Energy’s Surrey assembly facility, alongside battery management systems and
vehicle charging infrastructure testing.  Following inspection by its Engineering
team, it is now set for handover to Extreme E’s logistics team for shipping to the
Season’s first race in Saudi Arabia. 

Race organisers and teams, including teams run by current Formula 1 World Champion
Lewis Hamilton (X44), former Champions Nico Rosberg (Rosberg Xtreme Racing) and 
Jenson Button (JBXE), alongside high profile well-established teams including Andretti
United and Chip Ganassi Racing, will charge their ODYSSEY 21 vehicles using electricity
generated by AFC Energy’s fuel cell power system.  This in turn will inspire people,
companies, and governments to consider how clean power generation, such as that 
found in fuel cell technology, can be utilised to urgently respond to the challenges
brought on by climate change. 

With broadcast deals in place with Sky and BBC (UK), Discovery (Europe), Fox Sports(
US, Canada and the Caribbean) and a host of others, the series will have an estimated
global TV audience of over 200 million people to highlight the environmental challenge
and to showcase the technology used by the series.

AFC Energy will now move to the integration and delivery of Extreme E’s upstream
green hydrogen fuelling solution which will be delivered to the championship over
the forthcoming months. 

The system will be transported for shipping via the **St****.** Helena, ahead of
its first race, the Desert X-Prix in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, on the 3^(rd) and 4^(th)
of April.  A small number of AFC Energy staff will travel to the first race in early
April to monitor and maintain the performance of the H-Power system over the race
weekend.  The system will then subsequently be deployed to its four other races 
across the remainder of the year, including Dakar, Senegal (29-30 May), Kangerlussuaq,
Greenland (28-29 August), Santorem, Brazil (23-24 October) and Tierra del Fuego,
Argentina (11-12 December).

> **Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Extreme E, said:**
> “Hydrogen fuel cell charging in the world of motorsport is truly ground breaking,
> and Extreme E is the first event of its kind to utilise this technology. The product
> from AFC Energy offers an end-to-end emission free solution for running our electric
> vehicles and I hope it will inspire other organisations to investigate sustainable
> low emission alternatives when running their events.
> “The sign-off from the team is a real milestone for Extreme E, and I’m looking
> forward to seeing the hydrogen fuel cell in action at our first race in Saudi 
> Arabia in just a couple of months’ time. It has not been easy to get where we 
> are today, but the team has been more determined than ever to make Extreme E a
> reality because the climate crisis isn’t on hold for anyone or anything.”

> **Adam Bond, Chief Executive Officer at AFC Energy, said:**
> “Hydrogen continues to gain momentum as a viable worldwide platform that affords
> a key solution to the decarbonisation of sectors where electrification and grid
> infrastructure is absent.  Extreme E’s vision to use motorsport as a platform 
> to introduce new technologies, such as fuel cell technology, to support this goal
> is to be congratulated and AFC Energy is very proud to be associated with such
> a landmark initiative. 
> “The past few months have delivered many new challenges in meeting the robust 
> specifications of the first Extreme E season to account for the range of conditions
> in each of its five rounds, and today’s unveiling reflects a strong collaborative
> effort from both organisations.  Our collaboration with Extreme E provides an 
> incredible global platform to highlight the deployment of our robust, innovative
> zero-emission system that will ultimately support the decarbonisation of incumbent
> off-grid power systems across a number of global industries including maritime,
> rail and construction.  
> “I look forward to Extreme E and AFC Energy’s teams working closely together to
> make the championship a success in 2021 whilst properly highlighting the climate
> change challenges faced by different ecosystems to encourage global decarbonisation.”

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