LONDON: The Extreme E Odyssey SUV, which will feature in the inaugural race of the Extreme E racing series in Saudi Arabia next month, has been praised by Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff, host of the BBC motoring show Top Gear.
Featuring in last Sunday’s episode of the global smash hit TV show, Flintoff said he was impressed with the vehicle as he put it through its paces around gruelling rally stages, calling the car a “serious piece of kit.”
The glowing review from the former England cricketer turned TV presenter came just weeks before the inaugural Extreme E season revs into action in the Kingdom on April 3.
“They do call this an electric SUV but this SUV wasn’t made for the school run, this was made for racing,” Flintoff said during his review of the vehicle, which is also emblazoned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 logo.
“Obviously it's electric so there's no emissions but there's more, the bodywork is made of plant fibre, the tyres are made of bits of dandelion.”
Outlining the eco-friendly merits of the car, he was full of praise for its performance as well.
“Underneath all of that greenery it's still a serious piece of kit, the batteries made by Williams which sends power to a mot on each axle so it's got four-wheel drive and twice as much torque as a WRC car,” he said.
“It's got double wishbone suspension which will soak up anything, you'll get up and down 53-degree slopes. Is there anything this car can’t do?”
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The inaugural Extreme E “Desert X Prix” on April 3-4 will feature electric SUVs competing across the Saudi desert landscape. Click here to find out all you need to know.
With power of up to 550 brake horsepower, the Odyssey can reach 0-60mph in under five seconds.
According to Extreme E, the Odyssey is first manufactured with a common package of standardized parts, but can be configured by teams to their liking.
The vehicle was manufactured by Spark racing technology with a battery produced by Williams Engineering.
