From the end of season 5 to the end of season 15, we set a goal to reduce our carbon output by 45%. As far as I know, we are the only sport in the world that has set scientific objectives to audit that.
The number one priority is to produce as little carbon as possible; Then, with whatever is still produced, priority number two is to offset it in a way that generates the best benefits for the planet.
What type of trade-offs do you focus on? People have different opinions about what is good enough, and they are not all the same.
We focus above all on the creation of renewable energy, since it is what has the most positive impact on the use of electric cars. Whenever we can, we use technology from the countries in which we compete. Solar and wind farms in Mexico City, to give an example.
We are also investing in carbon capture and removal technology, and looking for ways to support the development of that technology. It is developing quite quickly, but it is still a very emerging technology.
What makes its carbon consumption an order of magnitude lower than that of Formula 1?
The amount of product we allow ourselves to take on the road. The number of cars, tires, spare parts, people traveling; We do it with the absolute minimum to put it in the minimum number of boxes to transport. And when possible, we transport by road or by sea. We only fly when we need to fly our entire racing series, and we can fit everything into three planes. We are studying how to reduce it to two.
And when we use airplanes, we look to technologies like sustainable aviation fuel. In fact, we tried it in one of the races last year, going from Berlin to the next.
Has sports technology reached consumer vehicles since the first race in 2014?
Well, it works both ways. We have benefited from automakers around the world investing in electric car technology and from some of the brightest minds in OEMs working on developing electric car batteries and powertrains. They have benefited from being part of a race series where we are pushing the boundaries of technology with each race.
A good example is Jaguar Land Rover. Jaguar’s Formula E team learned something on the track about efficiency between the battery and powertrain. They were able to take advantage of that learning and update the software of the I-PACE range, which is its range of electric road cars. Overnight, the range of these cars increased between 25 and 30 kilometers.
If you look at someone like Porsche, they have used other things. So we have things in the car like attack mode, an extra level of power: 50 extra kilowatts during a particular part of the race. Now they have that button in their car, which you can press in the new Taycan, and it unlocks additional power in the car.
When Formula E started there weren’t that many electric cars on the roads. They are now everywhere and are considered desirable and high-performing. Many discussions have been won about electrification. Does this change the future objectives of Formula E?
You are right, you cannot compare the vision of this sport in 2014 with that of now. I think in 2014, when this sport started, 800,000 electric cars were sold in the world. In the last 12 months, probably between 15 and 20 million.
It’s not like in 2014, when we said: please consider buying an electric car. Now the goal is to get the current 50% adoption rate for electric cars to 100%, and to help achieve this by further improving the technology. We’re absolutely obsessed with it, whether it’s improving technology for longer range, faster charging times, or better performance. Everything we focus on around battery technology, fast charging and efficiency is ultimately about accelerating the adoption of electric cars.
Article originally published in WIRED. Adapted by Andrea Baranenko.
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