When we think of a 'sustainable' or perhaps a more 'eco friendly' world, motor racing is likely not going to be the first thing that comes to mind. In fact, most probably the opposite, as the use of traditional combustion vehicles consuming fossil fuels and producing greenhouse gases continues to contribute to our global environmental problems.
It has been incredibly important to make sure that global motorsport governing bodies are aware of these issues and are actively trying to mitigate, if not remove them. This can come in the form of better working practices surrounding the racing (such as tyre recycling), minimising the adverse effects of freight and transportation, as well as improving the efficiency of individual race series, such as the hybrid power units in Formula 1.
As we start to see more electric vehicles on the road, the motorsport industry is beginning to mimic the trend. So far, motorsport has typically not been suited to an electric powertrain - batteries are incredibly expensive, heavy and don't last very long, often resulting in cars significantly slower than their combustion-based counterparts. The most prominent fully electric championship is currently Formula E, which has been quickly evolving alongside the technology that powers it. FE will be discussed in another post, but perhaps the most interesting new series of recent times is known as Extreme E.
Extreme E is an off-road, rally-style series that both takes advantage of the fact the vehicles are powered by electric motors, but also aims to raise awareness of effects of climate change across the globe. The championship also uniquely requires both a male and female drivers to race for each team, in an attempt to tackle gender inequality in motorsport.
The car, the 'Spark Odyssey 21', is manufactured by Spark Racing Technology (who also manufacture Formula E cars), in partnership with Williams Advance Engineering, who produce batteries. The 4 metre long, twin motored monster-truck looking vehicle accelerates immensely quickly for a car that size (0-100kph takes 4.5 seconds), and is designed to be able to crush the most intense and varied terrain the world has to offer.
Its mission is to race at venues that have been greatly affected or destroyed by climate change, not only to raise awareness of those areas, but also "encourage us all to take positive action to protect our planet’s future". If you would like to find out some more specifics about their goals, which include promoting greater environmental responsibility, reducing climate impact in different sports, and advocating for climate action to be taken by higher governing bodies, you can find out more information here.
It is important to note that not only are they heading to race in these specific areas, but also take immediate action. Known as their 'legacy programme', Extreme E joins forces with local and global environmental organisations to kickstart international projects, and change the current climate pathway in those regions by addressing the pressing local issues at hand.
One such projects so far was a result of racing in Senegal last year for the 'Ocean E-Prix' , revolving around mangroves. Mangrove shrubs play a key role in maintaining the environmental life of coastal communities in countries like Senegal. They store carbon extremely efficiently, minimise the affects of harsh weather on the surrounding areas, act as healthy habitats for a variety of species of fish, and also work as active filters for pollutants in water.
As described on their site, a quarter of Senegal's mangroves and 35 per cent of the world’s mangroves were lost due to droughts and deforestation between 1980 and 2000. Extreme E started work with Oceanium to plant one million mangrove shrubs in Senegal. Extreme E are also supporting related initiatives such as The EcoBrique project, empowering local communities to build with responsibly up-cycled materials, creating new buildings with bricks made from recycled plastic waste.
Another extremely important area of focus is minimising the environmental impact of international freight to these remote destinations, often the most environmentally damaging aspect of motorsport. The RMS St Helena replaces all air travel with a single vessel, carrying all the teams, with their cars and equipment. The ship has also been modified to further reduce their environmental footprint by replacing the regular propulsion units to run on diesel with heavily reduced sulphur content. More details on the specifics of the St Helena, such as replacing the on-board swimming pool with a Science Laboratory can be found here.
2021 was the inaugural season for the series and was deemed a great success, whilst being slightly compromised by Covid. In 2022, Extreme E will be traveling to destinations such as Neom in Saudi Arabia, Antofagasta in Chile and Punta del Este in Uruguay. Big names in motorsport such as Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button each have their own teams, trying to use their own platforms to increase awareness of the goals of the series. The second year has attracted even more interest such as a division of McLaren's Formula 1 team. The future of the series seems incredibly bright, and tracking the progress and impact that the series has on their destinations promises to be an exciting and overwhelmingly positive prospect.
It will be interesting to see if other series follow the path of Extreme E in regards to their push for environmental change, and attention to detail in regards to freight transportation and other off-track climate change control measures. Whilst currently unique, they have definitely paved the way for other championships to follow suit. The series is still extremely new however, and as a result may take a few years to bed the foundations for future championships.
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