Jenson Button test driving electric SUV for new rally series highlighting climate change
Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has spent two days in the Welsh Valleys test driving a 100% electric SUV, ahead of a new rally series aimed at highlighting climate change.
The racing driver - originally from Somerset but now living in California - spoke to Sky News on a forest test track in South Wales.
He will drive the 550 horse-power electric SUV in the Extreme-E race event starting in April and said he is looking forward to learning about environmental challenges in some of the world's most remote areas.
The 41-year-old will lead one of 10 teams set to race in Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Greenland, Brazil and Senegal this year.
"We're racing in five different locations around the world - all locations that have been affected by climate change and it's about bringing awareness," said Button.
"There are a lot of personalities in the sport in terms of the drivers and also the team owners. Nico Rosberg's got a team, Lewis Hamilton's got a team, Ganassi from the States - there are some big teams racing and this brings a lot of awareness to those areas we're racing in," he added.
Scientists from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge will join the race to carry out experiments in locations including glaciers in Patagonia and Amazonian rainforests.
The teams will all race the same electric SUV, which was developed in France by electric racing car developer Spark.
That’s a wrap! 2days of testing with the Extreme E Odyssey, lots of useful info collected but more importantly I couldn’t stop smiling while driving her! So much torque! The next stop is Saudi Arabia for the first race, are we ready? Probably not but we will give it our best.
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