Swedish racing driver Mikaela Åhlin-Kottulinsky has signed as the test driver for Continental’s new high-performance tyres being developed for the Extreme E rally series, a new championship for electrically powered SUV prototypes.

Through technology transfer lessons learned in racing will filter down to those used on road cars and improve the new generation of battery-run SUVs but Continental, a founding partner of the initiative, says the prime aim of the series is to raise awareness of global climate change.

Driving this year for the PWR Racing team, Mikaela has already taken pole position in the first race of the season with a victory to her credit.

She said: “This is a great project, I’m really happy to drive the electrically-powered SUV prototypes and hope to raise awareness on the climate change being made all over the world. I’m really looking forward to being a test driver for the Extreme E tyres from Continental.”