The course has been set for the third season of the ABT CUPRA XE team. In 2023, the championship will once again be holding races with purely electrically powered SUVs in locations around the world that are as spectacular as they are remote. In the mix since its inception: ABT Sportsline.
Extreme E wants to draw attention to the consequences of climate change through gripping motorsport. And what every individual can do to protect the environment. “We want to create awareness, showcase electric vehicles and also give positive impulses with regard to climate change,” says Alejandro Agag, Extreme E founder and CEO. The locations in the race calendar have been specifically chosen to showcase areas that are already affected by the ongoing climate crisis.
On board the RMS St. Helena, a former cargo and passenger ship, the floating Extreme E paddock will travel across the open sea to the individual locations around the world. From Saudi Arabia to Italy to South America, Extreme E completes its second season with five exciting venues.
Each event comprises two race days. After the free practice on Friday, the qualifying will be held on Saturday, followed by the semi-final and the final on Sunday. Over a distance of around eight kilometers, the individual race tracks offer a wide variety of challenges – with jumps, climbs, water crossings and more. Another highlight: A female and a male driver take turns in the cockpit of each race car. The seats are swapped after one of two laps.
ABT and CUPRA have this in common: for both brands, electrification and performance go hand in hand. The successor to the e-CUPRA ABT XE1 from the debut year of the championship is spectacular: the CUPRA Tavascan XE is equipped with a 54 kWh battery placed behind the cockpit, resulting in optimal weight distribution of the vehicle. The car manages the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in about four seconds.
The CUPRA Tavascan XE features an updated livery to match the team's Formula E car, the UrbanRebel, and the CUPRA e-Racer: a multi-layered and chameleon-like body color that combines a deep purple and neon yellow. The all-electric off-road racing car gives a first hint of the design language of the future CUPRA Tavascan production car. The brand’s second purely electric model is being developed in Barcelona and is scheduled for market launch in 2024. The CUPRA Tavascan XE is more sustainable than its predecessor: flax fibre parts from the 3D printer make work on the vehicle even more flexible and environmentally friendly.
From substitute driver to a permanent team member - the 22-year-old Swede already presented herself as a fighter with strong nerves in her two appearances at the end of the 2022 season. With a podium finish, a victory, and many spirited maneuvers, the shooting star left a strong impression and can now consolidate this in the new season.
Nasser Al-Attiyah joins the ABT CUPRA XE team at the beginning of 2022 as a freshly crowned Dakar winner and replaces Mattias Ekström, who is moving on to other challenges. It was already the fourth Dakar victory for the Qatari, who also has a number of successes to his name away from the cockpit: for example, an Olympic bronze medal in skeet shooting. “Extreme E is an exciting series with the ambition to contribute to a better future," says Nasser Al-Attiyah, who shares the cockpit with Sweden's Klara Andersson.
Extreme E Calendar 2023
11/12 March Saudi Arabia
13/14 July Scotland
08/09 July Italy
16/17 September Amazon or USA
02/03 December Chile