Why Lola chose Formula E for its return is the headline topic in this last Sustainable Motorsport Roundup of 2024. You will also get an update on the progress made by Carbon Positive Motorsport, the complication of Formula E’s Pit Boost and much more.
Sustainable Motorsport News
The Race explains why the new owner of Lola has decided to use Formula E as the series to relaunch the brand. “I think we’ve got really strong tailwinds in Formula E at the moment and probably the most obvious and important one is the move by Liberty to take over,” says Bechtolsheimer. Read the complete story here.
Carbon Positive Motorsport reflects on what they achieved in 2024 and why they are doing it. “Since 2022, our Positive About Motorsport initiative has achieved a remarkable milestone: enabling over one million kilograms of CO2 emissions to be offset. That’s equivalent to the impact of 6,000 mature trees or the consumption of 431,000 litres of fuel. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the collective effort of over 700 competitors, across 19 events, 12 major championships, and eight countries, spanning eight disciplines.”
Get all the details here.
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
RACER has the details on how Formula E is finally introducing their pit stop format Pit Boost.
“Pit Boost will have drivers come in for a 30-second pit stop to top up battery levels by 10 percent at 600kW power. It will provide a key strategy instrument, with drivers already only starting the race with around half the energy they’d need to complete it flat-out. The additional 10 percent will change how the useable energy is deployed in the race, potentially opening the door for more aggressive running, and less energy management — not to mention when you choose to make the stop for the top-up.”
Read more here about why this complicates things for the teams.
Sustainable Racing
Grassroots Motorsports recently took the Dodge Charger Daytona EV to the track and these are their impressions along with the data.
“Acceleration is solid–Dodge claims 3.3 seconds to reach 60–but not spectacular given the competition in the category. It feels weird saying a 3.3-second zero-to-60 is “not spectacular,” but in a category where the 3-second barrier is regularly flirted with and even broken, it takes a big statement to make a splash in this pond.”
Read their complete review here.
Series News
Formula E is looking at holding a large-scale event at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to help plug its eight-week calendar gap between mid-February and mid-April next year. “That event would not be an extra round of the championship. Instead, The Race can reveal that the advanced plans for this event are centred upon media influencers taking part in a possible two-day showcase that will use the Gen3 Evo car – although whether the actual Gen3 Evo cars currently being raced will be in use is yet to be decided.”
Read more at The Race here.
SportsPro has published their 2024/25 Formula E Business Report. “Released ahead of the first race in December, this new annual Business Report contains essential business intelligence and commercial contract details relating to the highest class of electric open-wheel racing and its 11 teams.” You can get more details here.
In more Miami news, the city is set to host the season 2 finale of the all-electric UIM E1 World Championship in 2025. “This landmark event in November 2025 will mark the Championship’s first-ever race in North America.” You can find out more here.
Series Boss Bruno Michel explains why hybrid power is not in Formula 2’s future.
“We’ve looked at what IndyCar is doing and we had a few discussions with them to see if it was adaptable to us and, to be perfectly honest, I thought that the cost compared to the advantages that it would bring was almost zero. We took the decision to go into a more sustainable approach with the fuel and we are very much in advance with that on every other category.” Read more about the decision and why it is a matter of economics at Autosport here.
Getting to the Track Sustainably
- Could the airship be the answer to sustainable air travel – or is it all a load of hot air? (BBC)
- Airbus Pushes U.S. Engine Makers to Accelerate Hydrogen Development (HYSKY)
- Advancements in Hybrid-Electric, Hydrogen, and SAF Technologies Set to Transform Aviation Propulsion (HYSKY)
- How Can We Secure the Future of SAF Production? (Energy Digital)
- New Major SAF Plant Planned for Texas (AIN)
- DP World Slashes Port GHGs with Carbon Offset Initiative (Energy Digital)
- Mercedes-Benz delivers first series-produced eActros 600 trucks to customers (Freight Carbon Zero)
- Fresh off the line: Windrose delivers first electric semis to Kerry Logistics and Rokin Logistics (Freight Carbon Zero)
- FSEW achieves diesel-free fleet milestone with electric and CNG vehicles (Freight Carbon Zero)
- The Drive’s Best EV of 2024 Is the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (The Drive)
- Lotus Rethinks Its New EV Strategy With Hyper Hybrids (MotorTrend)
- Smarter, More Powerful Next-Gen BMW M Sports Car Will ‘Beat Everything’ (MotorTrend)
- Range-boosting solid-state EV cells get right-sized for production (Green Car Reports)
- Driven! The 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Muscles into the Electric Era (MotorTrend)
- Mercedes Is Developing an All-Electric SUV With 1,000 HP (Robb Report)
- The Renault R5 Turbo Is Coming Back — As a Rear-Wheel-Drive Electric Hatchback (Road & Track)
- Electric Lamborghini delayed to 2029 because market isn’t ready (Green Car Reports)
- The Most Fun-to-Drive EVs for 2024 and 2025 (Road & Track)
- EV Batteries May Last Longer Than Expected Because We’ve Been Testing Them Wrong: Study (The Drive)
- Nissan and Honda Could Merge and Take Mitsubishi With Them (The Drive)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
