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Driving Electric Vehicles to new heights of endurance
You place the highest demands on our tyres, and that’s why Continental embraces every challenge – to pursue new milestones in performance and safety. And now that we’re a Founding Partner of Extreme E, a fresh adventure is about to begin. Join us in a race series that ventures into uncharted territory: tracks in the most inhospitable corners of the world, sustainable off-road vehicles with a powerful electric drive, and a racing series where victory is only possible through perfect coordination between vehicle and driver.
Extreme races in the remotest corners of the world
12 teams split into two groups will race in 5 locations, with the top four teams progressing to the knock-out stage.
Think an electric car is only for commuting in the city? Think again. The new Extreme E race series will take you to the wildest and most untamed regions of the planet. With teams of professional drivers competing in extreme conditions for the ultimate prize, motorsports have never been so electrifying.
With the momentum of the Formula E series, where global audiences have grown to 330 million in just four seasons, the time is right for a whole new kind of racing event. Extreme E brings high-performance sports utility vehicles to the harshest road conditions imaginable, where only the most fearless drivers supported by precisely engineered technology can succeed.
As Extreme E kicks off, 12 teams split into two groups will race in 5 locations, with the top four teams progressing to the knock-out stage. And as a founding partner of the series, Continental will provide custom-built tyres to ensure perfect road grip, whether in the Himalayas, on the coast of the Indian Ocean, in the Arctic, across the desert, or in the tropics.
Discover Beyond the Extreme
Extreme E promises to be the most extreme form of motorsports, and Swedish racing star Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky is Continental's official test driver of tyres developed for the event. Watch the action unfold in our Beyond the Extreme video series.
Location, location, location to the extreme
Absolutely integral to the Extreme E experience is the RMS St Helena, a former Royal Mail ship which transports our intrepid competitors to five different race locations around the world.
Absolutely integral to the Extreme E experience is the RMS St Helena, a former Royal Mail ship which transports our intrepid competitors to five different race locations around the world.
The ship has been transformed and upgraded with a multimillion pound retrofit, and doubles as an operating base and floating paddock for the global expedition; it has a state-of-the-art garage plus a central hub for operations, logistics, communications, and accommodation.
So where will the Extreme E adventure lead us, and what challenging conditions will the drivers face?
Extreme E is staging a race in the Amazon rainforest, a tropical climate of hot temperatures and high humidity.
Extreme E is staging a race in the Amazon rainforest, a tropical climate of hot temperatures and high humidity. It’s also one of the most spectacular ecosystems in the world, with a vast variety of flora and fauna at home in the region. As the name implies, rainfall will be in abundance, and the race track promises to be slick and treacherous. The tyres of the all-electric SUV will need to be equally capable of braking performance in both dry and wet conditions, plus superior traction for off-road use.
Extreme E will host a race on the dry subtropical frontier of the Sahara.
Next, Extreme E will host a race on the dry subtropical frontier of the Sahara. In this desert region, where more water evaporates from the ground than is replaced by precipitation, the main characteristics are harsh conditions, scarce water and barren landscapes. Four-wheel drive is critical in this environment; while regular cars can drive over hard-packed sand, scaling the shifting terrain of dunes requires more traction and power for all four wheels.
Extreme E is hosting one of its most spectacular races in the arctic.
The Arctic sits at the top of the world, a deep ocean covered by drifting pack ice, surrounded by frozen continents and archipelagos. In this formidable setting, Extreme E is hosting one of its most spectacular races. If the sub-zero temperatures weren’t daunting enough, racing over ice is going to test the limits of every driver’s skill and endurance. The electric vehicles must maintain grip and traction on slippery surfaces while travelling at top speeds, and that means they’ll need winter tyre technology that’s nothing less than best in class.
Extreme E is hosting a race on an island in the Indian Ocean, at one of the largest marine reserves in the world.
Extreme E is hosting a race on an island in the Indian Ocean, at one of the largest marine reserves in the world. A breathtaking view of the majestic ocean will never be too far away from a driver’s field of view, but first and foremost they’ll have to concentrate on racing over a terrain that combines sand and seawater. Again, the importance of four-wheel drive will come into play for the electric SUVs, racing over a unique surface of sand that’s packed hard and yet nowhere near as arid as in the Saharan desert.
Extreme E will stage one of its races at the base of the Himalayas.
Spanning the countries of Nepal, Bhutan, northeast India, southeast Tibet and northern Myanmar, the Himalayas is the highest and most impressive mountain range in the world. Extreme E will stage one of its races at the base of the Himalayas, where the uneven terrain of rocks, dirt, mud and gravel will prove a major test for the competitors. They’ll need to equip tyres that are tough and durable, with sidewalls which can capably absorb the impact of sharp rocks and other hazards.
The toughest tyre ever made
An extreme race requires extreme tyres: Continental tyres!
An extreme race requires extreme tyres
Extreme E is the most extreme racing series the world has ever seen. A new race, held under such unique and challenging conditions, requires a new kind of tyre. As an Extreme E Founding Partner, we’re doing our bit to ensure all contestants have the best possible equipment to deal with whatever trials they face. Continental carefully examined the requirements of the race series and built an ultra-high-performance tyre which specifically addresses the needs of the competing teams. The performance optimised tyres are not just built for extreme conditions, but also for the unique requirements of the competing pure electric SUVs.
Scorching heat or blistering cold; muddy, sandy or icy – no matter how extreme the conditions, the contestants and their vehicles need a reliable tyre that provides grip, traction and excellent performance at every stage of the race. The Continental CrossContact LX, the basis of the new tyre developed for Extreme E, is a well-balanced all-season touring tyre with a specially designed tread to enhance traction and stability on practically any surface. We further refined its strengths to create two brand new tyres especially for the needs of Extreme E. The CrossContact Xtreme Winter and the CrossContact Xtreme Summer will help contestants safely reach the finish line of the world’s most extreme racing series.
Rally driving has never been so electric
All Extreme E participants use the same set of standardised equipment: the tyres, the battery and the SUV model.
Extremely electric – electric SUVs for extreme races
All Extreme E participants use the same set of standardised equipment. That’s where motorsport manufacturer Spark Racing Technology comes into the picture; they will create, assemble and deliver a brand-new electric SUV model for the brave pioneers of the off-road racing series.
Another critical component of the Extreme E cars will be the battery. The same company which assembled the batteries and cells for the first four seasons of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, Williams Advanced Engineering, is responsible for this essential item.
Prototype testing will begin in July 2019, with substantial tyre technology contributions from Founding Partner Continental. Each team will receive two sets of summer and winter tyres, optimised for every conceivable facet of performance and safety required by the all-electric SUVs.
All Extreme E participants use the same SUV-model, built by Spark Racing Technology.
How to build an all-electric SUV for extreme racing
Just like a traditional race series, Spark Racing Technology will design and construct a common framework with stringent specification parts, and then hand over the approved chassis to each team. Each challenger is then free to test and build a custom powertrain and bodywork on this platform.
The standardised parts made by Spark Racing Technology will consist of the following:
- tubular steel frame;
- suspension and dampers;
- braking and steering system;
- crash structure and roll cage.
The areas eligible for individual team development are the motor and inverter, and select parts of the exterior bodywork, for example, the engine cover, side skirt, lights, and front and rear bumpers.
The batteries will be compatible with Formula E-specification motors and produce a maximum power output of 470 kW (equivalent to approximately 630 bhp). However, this new battery is specially customised for the rigours of off-road racing, made to withstand extreme environments, road conditions and terrains.
How to win the Extreme E championship
Extreme E is a global racing championship that sees all-electric SUVs battle head-to-head in some of the world’s most extreme environments.
The format of Extreme E will be familiar to motorsports fans, where two groups of six teams compete against each other in a fast-paced round-robin tournament. The top four teams will progress to heats in a knock-out stage, where drivers square off in a one-to-one contest for a coveted spot in the final.
The off-road stages will be around 6-10 km in length, and drivers have to navigate through a series of virtual gates. Each track will be made up of five to six gates, with a combination of off-road tracks and open ground.
At Extreme E, two groups of six teams compete against each other in a fast-paced round-robin tournament.
