AFC Energy, a major technology partner of Extreme E for the inaugural season, reported that operational data from the deployment of a hydrogen power generator, acting as the main energy source for charging vehicles in the competition, is already being analyzed for future development.
The company noted that the location of the three races held to date in Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Greenland have highlighted the structure’s robust operational performance under extreme desert, arctic and high humidity climatic conditions.
“Systems integration is a key market value proposition in how AFC Energy collaborates with our partners, and for Extreme E, we have not only demonstrated capability on fuel cell generators, but also on bringing on-site green hydrogen to fruition,” the company detailed.
Related content: Extreme E Announces a Test Day to Recruit New Driver Talents
The organization said that by working with multiple technologies including microelectrolyzers, metal hydride storage and mobile solar panels, it has enabled Extreme E to be the world’s first sporting event not only to use zero-emission power generators, but also to produce green hydrogen of its own for consumption during the race weekend.
Category Executives Pleased
Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Extreme E, said that AFC’s engineering has already proven to be key since the first day in Saudi Arabia. He noted that the inaugural event was “incredibly challenging” because of the weather conditions at AlUla desert.
“Since then, Extreme E has raced in Senegal and Greenland – it couldn’t be more diverse and remote than those two locations – from sand, heat and humidity on a beach in Lac Rose, to racing next to an Arctic ice cap,” he noted.
“AFC Energy has managed these situations and kept our cars at full power. We are setting the standard for clean fuel delivery under any situation. There are no excuses left for the industry not to be clean. We now know it can be done, we have proven it,” added Agag.
For his part, Adam Bond, CEO of AFC said the deployment of the technology was the first of its kind and shows what can be done today to move the world towards zero emission technologies.
“Governments and industries alike are realizing that without immediate investment into genuinely sustainable energy technologies, there is little or no chance that we will mitigate the change being witnessed today as global temperatures rise and extreme weather events occur,” he stressed.
Bond concluded that AFC Energy’s innovation and capabilities are poised to play a key role addressing climate change, the most pressing issue facing the world today.
Written by I Jhonattan González