Recent years have seen a new era in motorsports, one in which electric-powered vehicles pack just as much punch as their more traditional fossil-fuel powered predecessors. E-racing provides all the fun of traditional motorsports with none of the environmental impact.
We profile three very different e-sports franchises, all of whom are members of UN Climate Change’s Sport For Climate Action Framework, and all of whom are at the forefront of this brave new world.
Formula E
What is it?
Formula E is a single-seater motorsport championship that only uses electric cars, debuting in Beijing in 2014. In 2019, motorsports governing body, the FIA, announced that Formula E would be given world championship status from the 2020-21 season, making It the first single-seater racing series to achieve that honour outside of Formula One.
What’s this got to do with climate action?
Formula E is an official ambassador of the EV100 programme, which brings together companies committed to accelerating the transition to electric vehicles in order to make electric transport “the new normal by 2030.” It is also a signatory of RE100, which is a global initiative of businesses committed to reach 100 per cent renewable energy. Ultimately Formula E believes that it can help transfer technologies from race track to road and “inspire innovations to counteract the climate crisis.”
Who takes part?
Twelve teams take part, with two drivers per team. Races are held everywhere from Monaco to Miami and Santiago to Sanya, making it as global a sport as its Formula One counterpart.
Tell me about the tech!
The Gen2 electric car can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds and can reach a top speed of 280km/h. While the first-generation cars needed to swap mid-race due to electricity storage issues, the Gen2 cars can compete a whole 45-minute race, an illustration of how quickly the technology is improving every year.
When’s the next race?
The Monaco E-Prix takes place on May 8th, while on June 19th and 20th, Rounds 8 and 9 will take place in Puebla in Mexico. You can watch it here.
Extreme E
What is it?
Extreme E is a FIA-sanctioned international off-road racing series that sees nine teams battle it out in electric SUVs everywhere from Senegal to Greenland. The races take place across the world in a variety of habitats: rainforest, desert, coastal, Arctic and mountain. Team owners include Formula 1 legends Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, and this year’s races are being shown live on Sky Sports.
What has this got to do with climate action?
The organisers aim to use electric racing to highlight remote environments under threat of climate change issues and to encourage us all to take positive action to protect our planet’s future. They have also started the Extreme E Count Us In Challenge, which allows fans to pledge to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint, while supporting one of the nine teams. Additionally, the series aims to promote E-SUVs. SUVs make up more than a third of the global car sales market, with the segment increasing its share between 3-5 per cent per annum since 2014. Extreme E says it is utilising its sporting platform to showcase the capabilities of E-SUVs over their traditional equivalents in the sector and generate excitement amongst buyers, ultimately increasing the proportion of electric SUV sales, which will reduce emissions overall.
How are the race locations chosen?
Extreme E races in locations which are already severely damaged by the effects of climate change or other significant forms of environmental degradation. The series raises awareness of the issues faced in each environment, with the goal of leaving behind only a positive legacy focused on local needs. Extreme E works with local community groups and NGOs to implement long-lasting Legacy Programmes, dependent on specific local needs. Extreme E works with Ernst & Young ahead of the races to conduct a Social and Environmental Impact Assessment to ensure it ‘races without a trace.’
Tell me about the tech!
The Odyssey 21 is an all-electric 400kw, 1650 kilogram, 2.3-metre wide off-road vehicle capable of getting from 0-100km/h in 45 seconds. Essentially, they are electric SUVs that pack a big punch.
When’s the next race?
The Ocean Prix takes place in Senegal on May 29-30, followed by the Arctic Prix in Greenland at the end of August.
Airspeeder
What is it?
Billed as the world’s first electric flying racing car series, Airspeeder was set up in 2016, the brainchild of Matt Pearson, an Australian technology entrepreneur, in a bid to “turbocharge” the electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft industry.
What will be racing?
Every team will operate the same electric ‘multicopter’ – essentially a remote-controlled electric VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft which can reach speeds of up to 160km/h. Each team will have the same vehicle, so the races will be decided purely by strategy and the pilots’ skill. This year these vehicles will be unmanned, but next year’s plans are for piloted aircraft, a rather exciting prospect.
What has this got to do with climate action?
The organisers believe that sporting competition will drive innovation and usher in a new era of electric mobility. By accelerating the technology through competition, the belief is that we will get to a place where electric ‘flying’ cars are mainstream far quicker, with all the benefits of emissions reductions that would entail. As Airspeeder’s Head of Media, Stephen Sidlo says: “Competition is a real furnace for the development of the technology, and it also helps improve safety. We want to go racing with purpose, which ultimately is to develop the urban passenger mobility side of this, which will liberate cities from congestion.” The races themselves can be put on in locations that have never had racing before, without any infrastructure having to be built, and having no environmental impact, as these will be globally streamed events.
Tell me about the tech!
The MK3 electric flying cars can get from 0-100km/h in 2.3 seconds and can reach a top speed of 160km/h. Made with carbon fibre composite technologies, each car weighs 400kg, and is guided by Lidar and Radar technologies which create a ‘virtual forcefield’ around each car, so collisions are avoided. Pilots will wear Augmented Reality visors as they pilot the vehicles through virtual reality ‘sky tracks’. Next year the plan is for an MK4 model that can hold human pilots (and reach speeds of 200km/h). Viewers will be able to watch either on a screen or a Virtual Reality headset and experience the races as the pilots do.
When are the races on?
There is no firm date so far but expect to see five teams competing in three locations at some point later in the year, with Arctic and desert locations currently being scouted. Watch this space!