Here at DirtFish, we’re well versed in writing stories about people who work on rallies. The World Rally Championship’s most experienced co-driver Miikka Anttila’s move into the role of deputy clerk of the course for Rally Finland being one example.
But we’re breaking new ground here, as this is the first time we’ve written about the appointment of a series’ head of scientific committee.
That’s Extreme E for you. Extreme E is about doing things differently.
So, meet Professor Peter Wadhams. It’s Wadhams’ job to spearhead Extreme E’s climate research and education programme.
On a day-to-day basis, the Professor works at Cambridge University’s department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics, but it’s 55 Arctic expeditions and his 50-plus years’ experience in the field that made him the perfect person to advise Extreme E.
Wadhams was consulted on the location of Extreme E’s Arctic race location in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland – round four of the all-electric series which is due to kick off in Lac Rose, Dakar in January.
As well as leading the scientific committee and linking the education across the five regions damaged or threatened by climate change (Greenland, Brazil, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and Senegal), Wadhams will also be the series’ Arctic Scientist.
Professor Wadhams said: “Extreme E is a highly ambitious and exciting project which will use sport, specifically electric racing, to increase attention to remote environments on the front line of the climate emergency and the challenges facing our planet which we simply cannot ignore.
“I feel very honored to be playing a key role in a project which has been solely developed to shine a light on the issues affecting the future health of our planet and to help educate people about the real solutions that we can all adopt.
“With over 30% of the planet’s emissions coming from transport, which makes this sector a huge contributor to carbon levels, and with it being a fact that more people watch sport than watch scientific documentaries, I fully support Extreme E’s platform of using motorsport to showcase electric vehicles and promote their adoption as an impactful solution for our planet’s future health.”
Extreme E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said Wadhams’ appointment will underpin the science behind the series.
“ We are truly honored to have such a respected and knowledgeable mind advising our series,” said Agag.
“The Extreme E scientific committee is the vital bedrock of our series as it supports the very reason we designed this championship, to build climate awareness and accelerate the adoption of renewable energy vehicles in the fight to help lower the planet’s CO2 levels.
“Professor Wadhams has been a staunch advocate in the work we are doing here, from the moment he was chosen to advise on our Greenland location selection process. From there, he has continued to guide our scientific direction and I feel very confident he will lead our scientific committee with great success.”
