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Continental takes on the toughest terrains in Extreme E
Think of Extreme E as Formula E but with huge jumps, mud, sand and rocks as the cars tear around the off-road courses. You need a seriously tough car to deal with all of this, which is why the teams use the Odyssey 21.
It’s an all-terrain EV off-roader with 550bhp and twin electric motors, and it can accelerate from rest to 62mph in just 4.5 seconds on gravel tracks. Power comes from a battery pack developed by Williams Engineering, which is part of the famous Formula 1 team.
Continental rose to the challenge
A very special tyre is needed to deal with the demands of racing on some of the harshest surfaces on the planet, as well as the huge power of the two electric motors. Fortunately, Continental was up to the challenge and has come up with its CrossContact racing tyre. It works just as well in the blistering heat of the desert or freezing conditions, and all the teams use exactly the same tyres to make sure the racing is as close as possible.
To make each race even more of a test for the drivers and teams, each car is allocated just one set of the Continental CrossContact tyres per race, plus two tyres from the previous round. It demands the drivers approach the rugged, gnarly courses to find the smoothest lines to avoid punctures or damaging the tyres.
Helping the teams to get the best from the tyres is Continental’s state-of-the-art ContiConnect system. It’s a digital tyre-monitoring set-up that offers the best driver and car safety by measuring key data such as tyre pressure and temperature, and shows it in the car and pit garage as it happens.
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In keeping with Extreme E’s mission to highlight climate change and environmental issues, Continental makes its CrossContact tyres with recycled materials. Each tyre incorporates 60 plastic drinks bottles in its production, which cuts waste and helps the company develop more sustainable new tyres for road cars.
The recycling doesn’t stop there, either. Continental has turned used tyres from Extreme E into rubber paving stones for basketball courts, so another fast-moving sport can benefit from the technology that goes into these tyres.
The first round of Extreme E is being held in Saudi Arabia in March, followed by a round in Scotland in May and another in Italy in July.