Legendary off-road racer and YouTube star Ken Block prepares to take the wheel of Extreme E's E-SUV to take part in the Grand Prix of Qiddiya finale of the Dakar 2020, on Jan 17, 2020. (FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

BEIJING - The upcoming all-electric off-road Extreme E racing series is to run as scheduled in 2021, series founder Alejandro Agag said on Tuesday.

Aimed at raising awareness of climate change, Extreme E will feature drivers competing across the globe in an elimination-style tournament

Although the current COVID-19 outbreak has severely disrupted global motorsport, with many events canceled or postponed, Agag said the inaugural Extreme E championship was "still on track and still on schedule" to begin as planned in Lac Rose, Senegal in January 2021.

Aimed at raising awareness of climate change, Extreme E will feature drivers competing across the globe in an elimination-style tournament, with the Senegal round followed by events in the desert of Saudi Arabia, the Himalayas, Greenland's glaciers and the Amazon rainforest.

A repurposed cargo ship will serve as a floating paddock, transporting all the series' facilities and providing living quarters when docked at the various stops.

ALSO READ: All­-electric Formula E hoping to recharge season

Owing the remoteness of the various locations, Extreme E will not feature spectators on site, and Agag noted that the series' unique structure would fit well with social distancing measures.

"When we designed Extreme E we didn't know there was going to be a pandemic," Agag said. "But Extreme E is almost a virus-proof sport."

"We have no public at our events and we are contained on a ship, so we can test everyone that goes on the ship," he added.

"We can make sure the ship is COVID-free and we can then carry on the sport and broadcast it to the world."

Agag was speaking at a press conference to unveil a four-person scientific panel to assess and set Extreme E's environmental objectives.

The committee's Head is Professor Peter Wadhams of the University of Cambridge, who is Extreme E's resident Arctic scientist.

READ MORE: Formula E CEO: If China goes electric, the world will follow

Completing the panel are Dr Lucy Woodall (University of Oxford), who is the committee's ocean scientist, Professor Richard Washington (University of Oxford), the committee's desertification and droughts scientist, and Francisco Oliveira (University of Cambridge), who serves as Amazon scientist.

"Finalizing this committee of world-leading scientists who will guide our climate and sustainability research is truly a proud milestone for Extreme E," Agag said. "We are honored to welcome such a highly-respected group of academics on board who share in our passion and our overarching goals."