Like its electric predecessor over the years, Extreme H will be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July with its Pioneer 25 car. The hydrogen-powered vehicle will do the Hillclimb on all four days with Klara Andersson, Cristina Gutiérrez, and Catie Munnings as drivers.

When not in use, the car will be on display at the FOS Future Lab, where vehicles using cutting-edge technology are featured. Panels will also be held throughout the weekend by series personnel.

“We’re looking forward to putting the Pioneer 25 to the test against some of the fastest and most advanced racing machines in the world as it takes on the iconic Goodwood Hill,” series technical director Mark Grain stated. “But just as exciting is the chance to let the public quite literally lift the lid on the car in FOS Future Lab, where we’ll be breaking down the components and systems that make this one of the world’s only hydrogen-powered race vehicles. It’s a rare opportunity to explore the technology up close and see what makes Extreme H so unique.”

Munnings, who raced for Andretti during Extreme H’s time as Extreme E, will be the first driver to run the Hillclimb. The car will be refueled using the HyQube fuel station from Fuel Cell Systems Ltd.

“I’ve been part of this journey since the early days of Extreme E, so to now showcase the next generation of hydrogen-powered racing on such a legendary stage is really special,” said Munnings. “Goodwood is such a landmark event in the motorsport calendar, for both drivers and fans, and it’s the perfect platform to debut this cutting-edge technology. The Pioneer 25 is a huge step forward in performance and innovation, and I can’t wait to give people a glimpse of the future of sustainable racing.”

With a specific date for the 2025 season opener not yet locked in, the Pioneer 25 has been busy in testing. A pseudo-preseason test took place in Fontjoncouse earlier in June with Veloce Racing.

The Pioneer 25, like XE’s Odyssey 21, was designed by Spark Racing Technology. It is heavier and larger than the electric car, and of course uses a 50-liter hydrogen fuel cell along with a 325-kW battery pack. The car also features a different chassis.

The Odyssey 21 was unveiled at the 2019 Goodwood FOS. Three years later, Andretti and Veloce brought their Odyssey 21s to Goodwood to see which of them could set faster times up the Hillclimb; Veloce won that duel.

Gutiérrez won the 2022 Extreme E title for X44 alongside Sébastien Loeb before signing with McLaren for the shortened 2024 season. Andersson was with ABT CUPRA in 2022 and 2023 and spend 2024 with SUN Minimeal Team; she and Nasser Al-Attiyah won the 2022 season finale.

“We’re incredibly proud to be returning to the legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed, one of the most iconic and prestigious events in global motorsport,” added XH CEO Alejandro Agag. “It was here in 2019 that we first previewed the Extreme E electric off-road championship, and now we’re back to debut the Pioneer 25 and welcome the next era with thrilling hydrogen racing. After a long-awaited return, we’re thrilled to finally show the public what’s coming next for Extreme H and the future of sustainable racing.”

The Goodwood Festival of Speed will take place on July 10–13.

Featured image credit: Matt Ben Stone