Our tools battle against heat, cold, wind, dust and time in one of the toughest rallies in the world. Thanks to Bosch Professional, the engineers and mechanics in the spectacular Extreme E racing series master their challenges in the world's most remote locations.
Extreme E is a unique motorsport series in which electric SUVs compete in the world's most aggressive environments to raise awareness of climate change. In its first year, the team traveled by cargo ship from one remote corner of the planet to another with 50 containers full of material. From the Saudi Arabian desert to the fjords of Greenland, the crew has to make do without mains power in the world's most extreme ecosystems. Never before has battery power been pushed to such extremes - neither in cars nor in professional power tools. It is not easy to work precisely and quickly in the harshest conditions. But with the right tools, it gets easier.
Extreme places
Scorching heat, melting ice caps, rising sea levels - the effects of climate change can be felt in every phase of Extreme E. Wilkinson and his team rely on our Professional 18V system to complete metal and woodwork on site without mains power. During the Desert-X-Prix in Saudi Arabia, the team was amazed at how well our brushless BITURBO angle grinders, impact drills and chop saws stood up to everything - sand, storm and scorching heat. "Dust gets everywhere and the tools still work," says Dougie Dale, a member of the team. "If you don't have reliable tools, there's no point in bringing them to the site. They end up breaking. But these here ...", he picks up a BITURBO GWX 18V-15 SC Professional angle grinder, " ... always work perfectly out here!"
No socket, no problem
Of all the tools Bosch Professional provides, the cordless tools are proving to be particularly valuable. "We need tools that are reliable and can be used very, very quickly," says Kester Wilkinson, the Event Manager at Extreme E. "Most of the Bosch tools we have received are cordless. That means we can take them out of the box and use them straight away. The batteries are compatible with all the devices, so we can just take a battery out of one device and put it into another. It's super easy."
"We are glad that we can count on our Bosch Professional tools to master this challenge too."
Always ready for the next challenge
At the end of each X-Prix, the team travels with 50 containers on the cargo ship RMS St. Helena to their next location. "The tools are then underway in an aggressive marine environment and surrounded by salt and water for weeks," explains Wilkinson. The crew was therefore amazed that the Bosch Professional batteries were still fully charged even after a month in rough seas.