Is racing the secret to building interest in hydrogen cars?

FIA and Extreme E have intentions to have series for H2 cars in place by 2026.

When it comes to passenger vehicles that can be driven with zero emissions, battery electric vehicles have certainly caught the wave over hydrogen cars.

Many consumers don’t realize that H2 fuel cells are another way of cleanly powering vehicles.

In the meantime, a growing charging station infrastructure is in place for battery electric vehicles and people are purchasing them on an ever-increasing basis to avoid producing carbon emissions while driving.

H2 may be taking off in trucks, buses, heavy equipment, trains, planes and even cargo ships, but hydrogen cars have mainly stayed off consumers’ radar. However, some are speculating that this could change when it starts becoming a focus in race series. New series are expected to start in 2025 that could help to shift consumer focus toward H2 and how it can provide the power, range, and rapid refueling times many drivers find appealing or even necessary to switch from fossil fuel powered vehicles.

Extreme E and the FIA have now inked a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the creation of new H2 series, which will be known as Extreme H. The organizers intend to turn the series into the eighth FIA World Championship in 2026.

A racing series like Extreme H can put many features of hydrogen cars directly in front of consumers.

“Establishing alongside the FIA a world-first hydrogen racing world championship will be a momentous milestone for Extreme E and the new Extreme H series,” said Extreme E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag.

“Eventual accreditation as an FIA Championship and then an FIA World Championship means we would be amongst the top tier of global motorsport categories, and Extreme H would be the first-ever world championship racing series of its kind.”

Building interest in H2

The hope is that by building interest in hydrogen cars using events such as these racing series, it will help to fuel movement in governments, companies and among consumers for the availability not only of H2-powered vehicles, but also the construction of refueling networks, maintenance services, and other related products and services for their convenient ownership.

Ready to test your knowledge on the most abundant element in the universe? Take our fun and engaging Hydrogen Quiz now! [forminator_quiz id=”58712″]