
Fast, furious and futuristic: Extreme E celebrates successful first championship and looks ahead to second season By Adrian Pennington
Thursday, January 20, 2022 - 11:45
Print This Story
Cristina Gutierrez (ESP)/Sebastien Loeb (FRA), X44, Dorset
Rosberg X Racing (RXR) were crowned champions of the first season of Extreme E, securing the title after finishing fourth in the season-ending Jurassic X Prix in Dorset in December. RXR drivers Molly Taylor and Johan Kristoffersson took the title after winning three of the five events of the inaugural FIA-sanctioned all-electric SUV rally championship.
The Jurassic X Prix capped what's been a very positive first year for the new sport, perhaps exceeding even the expectation of its founders. The second season drives off in just over a month.
In data supplied by Extreme E, live races were watched on average by 18.6 million people around the world, with a global audience close to 100 million across the season. Some 57 broadcasters aired the action, including Discovery, Sky Sports, Fox Sports, ProSieben Maxx, RDS, ESPN in Latin America, TV Globo in Brazil and Channel Zero in China. Interest was strongest in Europe, particularly from the UK, Germany and Spain.
Across social media the sport attracted one million followers, a total of 10.7 million engagements and 141 million video views. Of the 30,000-plus media articles it generated in 2021 (versus 13,957 in 2020) coverage was 97% positive (according to Kantar Media) with the main concentration being on environmental issues (35%) and electrification (32%).
Capturing imaginations
This is mass market here and now, says Extreme E chief marketing officer Ali Russell. The product has captured people's imagination and proved the world was ready for something new. It's been a huge success.
The combination of motorsport competition and climate change evangelism is what Russell calls sport for purpose, speaking to SVG Europe.
He says: We're creating a bedrock for innovation and new technology and to use sport to communicate a topic that has failed to cut through with many people.
Bravely going ahead and launching in the teeth of a global pandemic actually helped the product's presentation on screen, he adds, since people didn't question why there were no fans at the tracks which was our biggest concern at the start .
COVID-19 did however impact the production behind the scenes as the inaugural event in Saudi Arabia, initially planned for March, was pushed back to April and a proposed event in Nepal had to be cancelled due to the complexity of getting to the region. A replacement X Prix in Argentina and another planned X Prix in Brazil also had to be cancelled as a result of the crisis in South America.
We made a pre-emptive strike [in cancelling South America] because we felt that the pandemic was going to get worse and we didn't want to all get there and find ourselves caught in another strain [of the virus]. What it enabled us to do was stick to the Mediterranean and closer to home where there were just as many options for creating stories.
We're creating a bedrock for innovation and new technology and to use sport to communicate a topic that has failed to cut through with many people
The season ending finale at Bovington army base was preceded by an X Prix on Sardinia.
Russell adds: It's clear that the impact of climate change is a challenge for Europe just as it is for the Amazon or the Sahara, so moving forward we'll probably have more races closer to home than we envisaged before.
Indeed, Scotland remains a possible host location on the 2022 calendar with Sardinia inked in for a return along with Neom - the green energy city being built in Saudi Arabia - northern Chile and Uruguay.
Getting and in out of environments was very challenging and if we hadn't owned our own ship it would have been impossible, Russell says.
Extreme E used its own ship, the St Helena, which acted as floating transport system, paddock, science lab and COVID bubble. Although running on a form of diesel, this mode of transport is a major contributor to the enterprise's bid to lower the impact of the travel logistics compared to flying.
Production in all terrain
Production partner Aurora was involved from the championship's inception and among other things shared responsibilities (with NEP and Al Kamel Systems) for presentation and design, the spec and delivery of facilities on site, and the design and integration of VR and augmented graphics.
It was a challenge building a very forward-looking set of facilities and programming under a compressed time frame and amid COVID-conditions, but from race one onwards everything came together as expected, says David O'Carroll, Aurora's operations director.
Aurora used Unreal Engine for the first time in live sport, enhancing the graphical output of the more traditional Vizrt systems.
Our production team was amazed by the level of detail that Unreal worlds can be crafted in, says O'Carroll. The flatter desert setting perhaps didn't show this off to its best extent but in Senegal, where the course featured trees and rocks, and in Dorset the detail in the graphical overlay was incredible.
Extreme E worked hard to weave environmental education and information alongside the on-track competition in what has been described as a hybrid programming format.
From a production perspective the team worked really hard to make the two consistent and equal - and in a way that the audience didn't feel was contrived, he adds.
(L-R): Kevin Hansen (SWE), JBXE Extreme-E Team, and Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky (SWE), JBXE Extreme-E Team, second position; Cristina Gutierrez (ESP), X44 and Sebastien Loeb (FRA), X44, first position, Catie Munnings (GBR), Andretti United Extreme E, and Timmy Han
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
26/08/2026
Roku Sports Channel will stream eight matches free beginning Aug. 30 as league shifts Sunday-night games away from Victory+...
26/08/2026
Evertz and Mobile TV Group detail how on-premises infrastructure and cloud resou...
26/08/2026
The Sennheiser Group will demonstrate its broadcast audio portfolio at IBC2026 (Hall 8, Booth D50), covering wireless microphone workflows, studio monitoring, a...
26/08/2026
Appear and Transmisiones Televisivas TVTEL Limitada have announced the deploymen...
26/08/2026
Leader Electronics has announced that Danish broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Leader LPX500 hybrid IP/SDI waveform monitor and LT4670 sync puls...
26/08/2026
Encompass will demonstrate its Altitude media services at IBC2026 (IAMT Hub, Diamond Lounge, Hall 3, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14).
Key products on show incl...
26/08/2026
Daktronics has partnered with Massillon Washington High School in Ohio to install a new LED video display and implement the Daktronics Camino show control platf...
26/08/2026
Clear-Com has appointed Dubai-based Venuetech LLC as its main partner for the Middle East. Venuetech distributes professional audiovisual solutions across the r...
26/08/2026
NBC Sports NOW, NBC Sports' free 24/7 streaming channel, will launch a new weekday lineup beginning Monday, August 31, including two new shows.
Not So Fast...
26/08/2026
Calrec will demonstrate updates to its ImPulseV DSP software and Argo ecosystem at IBC2026 (Stand 8.C47), including previews aligned with the EBU's Dynamic ...
26/08/2026
Imagine Communications will demonstrate AI applications across its ad tech and video infrastructure portfolios at IBC2026 (Stand 1.B73, RAI Amsterdam, September...
26/08/2026
Dalet will demonstrate updates to Dalet Flex, Dalet Pyramid, and Dalia, its agentic AI platform, at IBC2026 (Hall 7, Stand 7.A43). The company will also partici...
26/08/2026
Team-owned platform will stream every locally carried Predators game beginning t...
26/08/2026
The 12-day tournament receives the broadcaster's full onsite-studio presence...
26/08/2026
A synth with no controls?
If you're into weird and wonderful instruments, then you may already be familiar with Warsaw-based SOMA Laboratory - if you...
26/08/2026
Physical modelling orchestral instrument announced
Following their recent cryptic hints, Dreamtonics have officially revealed the latest addition to their s...
26/08/2026
Discussions at the Meitingen site on competitiveness, energy supply, and fuel cell technology
Bertram Brossardt, CEO of the Bavarian metal and electrical emplo...
26/08/2026
Rohde & Schwarz USA celebrates grand opening of new manufacturing center in Fred...
26/08/2026
For large media companies, the content archive is a gold mine. There are thousands of hours of existing, high-value assets just waiting to be tapped for highlig...
26/08/2026
Ad Supported Viewing Represents 71.5% of TV in Q2
Streaming Captures Over 48% o...
26/08/2026
Charity sector ad spend reached $278 million as 44% of Australians donated to ch...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
MediaKind today announced that CNBC UK has selected Beam to modernize its contribution and distribution infrastructure, bringing greater flexibility, resilience...
26/08/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced the next evolution of Telestream UP, expanding the cloud-native platform introduced ...
26/08/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced its 2026 Honorees, recognizing individuals and organizations whose contrib...
26/08/2026
New solution bridges connected TV (CTV) and ecommerce to make shoppable performance advertising easier to scale for streaming platforms and broadcasters
Broadp...
26/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Recent advances in robotics, automation and artificial intelligence...
26/08/2026
How WeFX Made From's' Monsters Feel Uncomfortably Real
Brie Clayton August 26, 2026
0 Comments
From eight-foot dolls and feathered birds to R...
26/08/2026
Eleanor Roosevelt High School Elevates Student Rallies with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 26, 2026
0 Comments
Student led production team uses...
26/08/2026
K-Frame and Maverik X innovations extend familiar production control into AMPP, alongside new replay, audio, commentary and communications capabilities.
At IBC...
26/08/2026
New products continue to enable any signal, anywhere for creators...
26/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced a new integrated newsroom experience with Agence France-Presse (A...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
PTZ Camera Manufacturer and FPGA Design Specialist Join Alliance to Advance IPMX and Open AV-over-IP Standards
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today...
26/08/2026
BATON offers ZOO Digital advanced audio and video quality analysis, and scalable architecture
Interra Systems, a leading provider of end-to-end quality assuran...
26/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the continued expansion of its managed coach communications partnership with Scottish Rugby Union. Now entering its third ...
26/08/2026
Zixi brings Broadcaster V19 and showcases interoperable platform on Stand 5.A76
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, will be exhib...
26/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Jeffery Kelly, the H. Lutcher Brown Professor of Chemistry at Scrip...
26/08/2026
Indie Developer Launches Orty, aWindows App That Helps Freelance VideoEditors Fi...
26/08/2026
BTS on Sinners and Is God Is Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
Brie Clayton August 25, 2026
0 Comments
Award winning filmmaker Travis Henry elevat...