100% electric emotions: CUPRA at the Extreme E Championship 2022
After a successful first season, CUPRA confirms its commitment to Extreme E, a championship that uses 100% electric racing to put the spotlight on environmental protection, with an ambitious team.
Two Dakar winners - Nasser Al-Attiyah and Jutta Kleinschmidt - and a common goal: the 2022 Extreme E championship.
CUPRA has announced its line-up for the second edition of the competition, which was created to highlight the climate crisis and focuses on ecological systems around the world; the aim is to use the appeal of racing, with 100% electric and therefore zero-emission vehicles, to raise awareness of natural environments threatened by climate change, encouraging everyone to protect the future of the planet.
CUPRA's commitment
CUPRA has been involved in Extreme E from the outset, being the first brand to announce its participation, joining forces with ABT Sportsline as the team's main partner.
The first season, in which the CUPRA ABT XE team participated with the e-CUPRA ABT XE1, ended with a fifth place overall, with the best result being a second place in Sardinia in October. The last round - the Jurassic X Prix, staged in Dorset (UK) - proved to be the most extreme, with rain, fog, mud and very difficult visibility conditions.
The title challenge for 2022
“It has been a challenging year, in which we have discovered a totally new championship. That's why we are proud of the whole team and of our drivers, Mattias and Jutta, who have done a great job. The final placing in the standings makes us aware that we have the potential for much more, but that's the way racing is! I am sure we will get many more podiums in 2022, this is just the beginning”, commented Xavi Serra, Head of CUPRA Racing.
Mattias Ekström and Jutta Kleinschmidt have built a solid foundation, pushing the e-CUPRA ABT XE and its 550 HP electric motors to the limit.
CUPRA Tavascan XE
The 2022 reinterpretation of the e-CUPRA ABT XE1 is the CUPRA Tavascan XE, and it fits perfectly into the spirit of the Extreme E Championship. The 100% electric vehicle is equipped with a 54 kWh battery which, positioned behind the cockpit, contributes to optimal weight distribution.
Capable of going from 0 to 100km/h in around four seconds, the CUPRA Tavascan XE is even more sustainable and environmentally friendly than the previous version of the competition car. It features 3D-printed parts to improve adaptability and make the vehicle much faster and easier to repair, even under the pressure of a race. The 100% electric SUV hints at the design language of the future production Tavascan, CUPRA's second 100% electric model, which will be designed and developed in Barcelona and will arrive in Europe and other markets in 2024.
A competition to protect the climate
Bringing together sporting thrills, education and scientific storytelling means accelerating the spread of electric vehicles, reducing CO2 emissions and achieving a more sustainable lifestyle. In 2021, Extreme E has reached some of the most challenging places in the world, which are also threatened by climate change.
From the Al-'Ula desert in Saudi Arabia, through Lac Rose in Senegal, Greenland, via Sardinia, to the Jurassic Coast. The organisation of the championship collaborated with local authorities on research projects, implementing actions to protect the environments in which it has competed.
Extreme E 2022 Championship
The CUPRA ABT XE team will be at the start of the first round of the 2022 championship, scheduled for the weekend of 19-20 February in Saudi Arabia. The second round will take place on 7-8 May in Sardinia; the location for the third event, scheduled for July, has yet to be decided, while the final two rounds will be staged in South America: 10-11 September in Chile, 26-27 November in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Source: SEAT S.A.
VGI | Responsible OU: VP | Creation date: article date | Class 9.1