Being a public figure means doing stuff for charity and to raise awareness on important issues, which can probably feel like a chore sometimes. Not in this case, when Prince William got to drive the Odyssey 21, an Extreme E race car, in the name of charity.
Ahead of the annual Conference of Parties (COP) summit on climate change and on his second day of touring Scotland, HRH the Duke of Cambridge (aka Prince William) stopped by the Knockhill Circuit near Dunfermline, in Scotland, for his first look and his first drive of an all-electric offroad race car. He was given the full tour of the vehicle, as well as a chauffeured ride that constituted training, before jumping behind the wheel himself.
On the same occasion, Prince William was shown the hydrogen fuel cell charging station, developed in partnership with British-based AFC Energy and moved from location to location to offer emissions-free charging. He asked about the Odyssey 21, but joked he shouldn’t be offered too many specifics, as they would go over his head. “Put some wheels on it, it would take off,” he laughed.
Strangely, Extreme E has deleted the video of the actual drive, without offering any explanation for it. It probably means nothing, but the video received some negative comments about the Prince’s seat belts being too loose and how he shouldn’t be risking his life by racing, even if it was in the name of charity. You can still see it in the embed below.
The offroad race car is Spark Odyssey 21, which boasts a power output of 536 bhp and insane acceleration. It was officially introduced in July 2019, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and showcased in action at the 2020 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January 2020.
Extreme E racer Catie Munnings drove the Prince for his training session, after which he took the wheel himself. He knocked over a barrier at a turn, but otherwise performed well. As anyone in his shoes would say, considering the unique opportunity, he described the experience as one he’s likely to remember for the rest of his life. He even joked about applying for a job with Extreme E.
On the same occasion, Prince William was shown the hydrogen fuel cell charging station, developed in partnership with British-based AFC Energy and moved from location to location to offer emissions-free charging. He asked about the Odyssey 21, but joked he shouldn’t be offered too many specifics, as they would go over his head. “Put some wheels on it, it would take off,” he laughed.
Strangely, Extreme E has deleted the video of the actual drive, without offering any explanation for it. It probably means nothing, but the video received some negative comments about the Prince’s seat belts being too loose and how he shouldn’t be risking his life by racing, even if it was in the name of charity. You can still see it in the embed below.
The offroad race car is Spark Odyssey 21, which boasts a power output of 536 bhp and insane acceleration. It was officially introduced in July 2019, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and showcased in action at the 2020 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in January 2020.
Extreme E racer Catie Munnings drove the Prince for his training session, after which he took the wheel himself. He knocked over a barrier at a turn, but otherwise performed well. As anyone in his shoes would say, considering the unique opportunity, he described the experience as one he’s likely to remember for the rest of his life. He even joked about applying for a job with Extreme E.