Bright future: Aurora Media Worldwide on the new hydrogen-powered era of Extreme H 2025 By Heather McLean
Friday, October 4, 2024 - 09:46
Print This Story
Extreme E's days are truly numbered, as it is about to be replaced in 2025 by Extreme H, which will take the series forwards into the new era of hydrogen-powered racing
Extreme E has set the pace over recent years as the crazy electric rally series with major sustainability goals. However, Extreme E's days are truly numbered, as it is about to be replaced in 2025 by Extreme H, which will take the series forwards into the new era of hydrogen-powered racing.
At the Hydro X Prix in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland on 13 to 14 July, tests on the series' hydrogen race car, the Pioneer 25, were carried out publicly on a championship course for the first time.
This is going to be the only gas hydrogen sport out there for the foreseeable future. I think there's a two or three year or even four year monopoly [for Extreme H] while other people eventually or continue to go racing with liquid hydrogen
The Pioneer 25 car is designed to demonstrate the viability and performance capabilities of hydrogen fuel cells, setting a new standard for eco-friendly motorsport. It is designed and manufactured by Spark Racing Technology and equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell from Symbio, Extreme H's Official Fuel Cell Provider, and has undergone an intensive testing programme equivalent to three seasons of racing in readiness for its debut campaign. Symbio will provide a 75kW hydrogen fuel cell replacing the battery as the principal energy source. The hydrogen fuel cell powers the battery pack that is produced and supported trackside by Fortescue Zero.
The cunning plan is that Extreme H will take over from Extreme E. Explains Matthew Beal, director of broadcast at host broadcaster Aurora Media Worldwide: The roadmap is we finish season four of Extreme E, and that marks the end of the Extreme E era. Then the whole thing pivots to Extreme H with teams from Extreme E coming and going mostly coming! I think we'll see expansion in the grid.
Bright future
In March this year Extreme E revealed that it delivered significant audience growth in 2023, rising to a global audience of more than 144 million viewers, according to the latest analytics report on the series by YouGov. The increase in the series' audience figures stems from a thrilling third season, where a record five teams competed for the 2023 Extreme E championship at the final event. The series' global audience grew by 6% from 2022, where the viewership stood at 135 million.
Read more: Into the great unknown: Extreme H sliding smoothly into more data and telemetry in broadcast for the new era of hydrogen racing
Going forwards, Beal says, we had basically around a hundred million viewers the first season and last season, 150 million viewers across the broadcast, so a 50% increase over three years. The goal is to go 50% again over a shorter timeframe .
He adds: That's a big ambitious step to go again, but I think it's one everyone's confident in because we think we've got a great product, we think we've got authenticity and now equity in the market, particularly around the gender equality. And I think the market is moving to a position where the demand for female-led sports is huge, and only going in one direction.
So if we put those things together, we think we've got a really bright future and want to go again. The name of the game as ever in the competitive market is entertainment, and sports great for that, but we've got to work really hard to make sure our entertainment proposition is more compelling than the next, and we think we've got some great assets to do that; seriously brilliant racing, brilliant athletes, great locations, and a great story to partner, the whole thing. Extreme H is ambitious in their viewership and what they're aiming for, but I think they've got everything at their disposal to achieve it.
Hydrogen is the key for much of what will be seen on screen in 2025 for Extreme H, as this power is set to have a far greater reach into everyday life
Technology storytelling
Building that viewership further is hydrogen itself. Hydrogen is the key for much of what will be seen on screen in 2025 for Extreme H, as this power is set to have a far greater reach into everyday life. In the UK, new blast furnaces in the works cannot be powered by electricity off the grid as there is not enough to spare, and with oil and nuclear power unlikely contenders, hydrogen is set to step up to the mark. Therefore the work being carried out and demonstrated on the track at Extreme H will showcase the power source, and will attract the attention and imagination of a much wider base of viewers than simply sports fans.
Notes Beal: The technology story is going to get bigger inside Extreme H. All these things [we see off the track] will play into the broadcast and the graphics and the data, and storytelling.
As to the power, these vehicles will not be any old hydrogen-powered cars. They will be gas hydrogen-powered cars. States Beal: This is going to be the only gas hydrogen sport out there for the foreseeable future. I think there's a two or three year or even four year monopoly [for Extreme H] while other people eventually or continue to go racing with liquid hydrogen.
The reason that's super important is it's probably gas hydrogen where we're going to see as a [mainstream] mobility solution, so if you go and purchase a [hydrogen-powered] car, it'll be a gas model. Therefore the relevance of Extreme H to the consumer and to OEMs and manufacturers is quite high, because it's the next turn of the mobility solution and it's realistically where I think there's a lot of m
Most recent headlines
03/01/2026
A still from OBEX by Albert Birney, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance...
02/01/2026
Freezing Florida: NHL's EVP, Entertainment Bob Chesterman on Taking the Wint...
02/01/2026
NHL Winter Classic 2026: TNT Sports Prepares for First NHL Outdoor Game in Sunsh...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
02/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
02/01/2026
Any Given Day: Cork University Hospital premieres Wednesday 7 January on RT One and RT Player at 9:35pm
RT will debut a powerful new six-part documentary se...
02/01/2026
Friday 2 January 2026
All episodes of Heated Rivalry will be landing on Sky and...
02/01/2026
Sequins, chat shows, live sporting action, ground-breaking docuseries and brand-new Irish drama to kick off 2026
New Year, New Content Coming Soon across RT
...
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
Your live countdown to 2026 with Inhaler, David Gray, Lyra, Garron Noone, Sharon...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
RT has unveiled an exclusive first look at the new Dancing with the Stars promo...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
Bright future: Aurora Media Worldwide on the new hydrogen-powered era of Extreme H 2025 By Heather McLean 
