Extreme E has served as a leader in the eco-friendly sports world. The venture uses electric rally vehicles and charges them with hydrogen-powered generators. These efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Extreme E has placed high in the Global Sustainability Benchmark in Sports (GSBS) rankings for its work to keep its carbon footprint low while delivering a fantastic racing product.
GSBS released a report highlighting significant ESG commitments from sports leagues worldwide. In 2023, Extreme E ranked joint-fifth out of 55 top professional sports organizations and ranked joint-second overall in motorsports, only behind fellow electric racing outlet Formula E.
Extreme E was ranked higher than the NFL, UEFA, FIFA, and Formula 1 for its ESG commitments.
According to an Extreme E news release, all organizations looked at in GSBS’s research were chosen from “unbiased, science-driven, and data-based methods.” Six motorsports organizations were analyzed for this report, and sponsorships were paid close attention to. A trend revealed by GSBS was telecommunications and media were the biggest for sports teams. Tobacco, chemical, and energy industries were some of the lowest representatives.
McLaren Racing and Mercedes-AMG Petronas were also in the rankings, as well as top soccer leagues and clubs like Borussia Dortmund, VfL Wolfsburg, Manchester City, and La Liga. The report includes several club-specific case studies.
Photo Courtesy Extreme E
“It is hugely important for us to have our sustainability efforts recognized by our peers, and so to receive this GSBS rating and recognition once more is a great achievement for Extreme E,” Ali Russell, managing director at Extreme E, said in a statement. “As a series about to embark on only our fourth season, to be ranked above long-standing global brands in motorsport and beyond is a testament to our ethos and core value as a sustainable championship for purpose.”
“It also demonstrates that our environmental and sustainability actions have remained consistent as we have scored highly across the sports industry more widely,” Russell continued.
The ranking follows another major announcement from Extreme E. The company is transitioning to full hydrogen-powered racing next year and will rebrand as Extreme H.
In December 2023, a testing phase showed that the company was almost ready to launch its new hydrogen-powered race car.
“Completing this initial first shakedown of the Extreme H prototype ahead of schedule is a sign of strong progress being made as we prepare for the launch of Extreme H in 2025. Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to reveal the first look at our hydrogen-powered concept, which we feel is going to be ground-breaking in motorsport.” 2024 is looking like the last year of electric-only power.
Photo Courtesy Extreme E
Extreme E is one of the socially most diverse sports leagues. Each team has a male and female driver. All electric power comes from hydrogen generators. The racing venture has been exploring green hydrogen’s power in racing since 2022.
Investors like Formula 1 legends Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, and legendary house DJ Carl Cox have increased Extreme E’s profile among motorsports fans. Moving to full hydrogen fuel continues the work the venture set out to accomplish when it started in 2019. The race teams and their Formula E counterparts display how motorsports can stay competitive while removing fossil fuels and carbon emissions from working conditions.
