This week I feature how the electric ReVolt motorcycle is aiming to break a significant world land speed record. I also have news on Skoda’s battery electric concept race car, an awesome video of a McMurtry Speirling on the racetrack and details on the development of the new Extreme H race car.
It’s all in this week’s edition of the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. Your source for sustainable high performance motorsport news.
Sustainable Motorsport News
Škoda has unveiled its Enyaq RS Race battery-electric concept study, which it states offers insights into how motorsport technology can “help accelerate the shift towards a dynamic and sustainable automotive future”. The platform will also serve as a test bed for the development and testing of technologies for future battery-electric production vehicles.
Michal Hrabánek, Head of Škoda Motorsport, said, “Sustainability is a cornerstone of Škoda Motorsport’s strategy. As early as 2021, we ventured into the realm of electric rally cars with the Škoda Fabia RE-X1. The insights and expertise we gained from this have fed into the unique new Škoda Enyaq RS Race. This fascinating car proves that motorsport, which is deeply embedded in Škoda’s DNA, not only enhances the brand’s emotional impact but also contributes valuable experiences and technologies to upcoming Škoda road models.”
Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar have taken the wraps off this year’s Indy 500 pace car, announcing that the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray 3LZ Coupe will lead the 33-car field to green later this month. The Corvette is the first electrified Corvette ever produced, combining a typical naturally aspirated 6.2 liter V8 with electric all-wheel drive capabilities.
“As we anticipate another record-breaking Indianapolis 500, it’s only fitting that the quickest production Corvette will pace the field,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said.
The Rotax E20 electric powertrain has received official CIK-FIA approval. “This makes the new generation power unit the first ever E-Kart to be awarded this level of certification in karting” BRP-Rotax said in a statement. Additionally, the Rotax E20 championship within the Rotax MAX Challenge Euro Trophy becomes the first CIK-FIA approved international series for electrically powered karts worldwide in 2024.
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile today (May 9th) is hosting the second FIA Sustainable Innovation Series, co-hosted with the FIA World Rally Championship. Designed to drive collaboration and innovation, the event will welcome leading voices from the worlds of motorsport, business and EDI for conversation around:
- ‘Future Proofing Rallying’ with Santiago Peña Gómez and Guillaume PRIGENT, PhD, EMBA from the European Space Agency – ESA
- ‘Approaching Climate Targets Through Sustainable Fuels’ with P1 FUELS’ Martin Popilka and APETRO – Evolving Energy’s Guido Albuquerque
- ‘Leading Biodiversity Stewardship in (Motor)sport’ with IUCN‘s Emanuel Boscardin, Barbara Silva, and UNESCO‘s Tales Carvalho Resende
- ‘Boosting the Power of Women in Rallying’ with Peter Thul, Michele Mouton, Burcu Cetinkaya and Pernilla Solberg
- ‘WRC Innovation Hub as a Force of Transformation’ with Asahi Kasei Corporation’s Yuha Kodaira and NEP Finland‘s Marko Viitanen
The FIA’s Sara Mariani, the WRC’s Jona Siebel, and Automóvel Club de Portugal’s Carlos Barbosa will open the event, while Jacob Bangsgaard will provide closing remarks.
The Porsche website talks to Hannah Sicha on the responsible extraction of natural rubber.
“Raw materials form the basis of our vehicles – some of which have been identified by the Volkswagen Group as high-risk raw materials from a sustainability perspective. These raw materials are often mined in countries of the Global South, and their extraction can have a high potential for negative impacts on the environment, society or human rights. One raw material where specific risks could be present is natural rubber, an important component of our vehicles’ tyres. I focus on this particular raw material: in my daily work, I want to ensure that natural rubber is mined responsibly. Because at Porsche, we see our corporate responsibility as extending beyond our factory gates and into the entire value chain.
To fulfil this responsibility, we work with selected supply chain partners to analyze potential sustainability risks along the natural rubber supply chain. In the next step, we develop effective measures to reduce and mitigate these risks. In this context, I traveled to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia in November 2023 and was able to get an impression of the situation on the ground. Indonesia is one of the largest natural rubber producing countries in the world.”
Hannah Sicha on the responsible extraction of natural rubber
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
McMurtry Automotive uploaded a video of the McMurtry Speirling electric fan car lapping Silverstone during what appears to be a test day for GT3 cars and noticed by The Drive. Driven by former Formula 1 driver Max Chilton, the Speirling was apparently set up to generate only 80 percent of its potential power and downforce. That’s still enough to demolish practically any car on track as the onboard video shows.
“Chilton laid down a lap of 1:40.92, which needs some contextualization. That’s not quite in the same league as an F1 car, with the 2023 British Grand Prix’s pole time being 1:26.72, making the 107-percent qualifying time a 1:35.141. But it would qualify among the WEC’s old LMP1 cars, slotting between the sixth and seventh-quickest times in qualifying for the 2018 Britcar 6-Hour.”
Race Engine Suppliers looks at ReVolt’s Matthew Deeley’s plan to break the land-speed record on the revamped Riches/Nelson 2009 bike. “There’s no doubt in my mind that we have the power to go over 230 mph when the racing season comes back around.”
Hyundai and the IONIQ 5 N take off on the journey to Pikes Peak, with sights set on the Electric Production SUV Crossover record. Facing a new set of challenges that come with EVs, we teamed up with Bryan Herta Autosport, racing against the clock to prepare the all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5 N for one of the most dangerous hill climbs in the world. Watch Part 1 of the adventure above.
The June 2024 issue of Racecar Engineering issue that is out now features, amongst the usual great content an article on synthetic fuels in racing. You can buy the issue here.
Goodwood Road & Racing has an interesting article on how solid state batteries could revolutionize EVs. “Pound for pound a solid state battery can pack more power than a conventional battery, offering up 1,200 watt-hours per litre versus the 700 watt-hours of a conventional battery.”
Series News
RACER has been given an insight into the development of the new Extreme H race car, which has been undergoing testing in France with two-time Le Mans Romain Dumas and Extreme E racer Hedda Hosaas.
“It will handle better, the dampers are totally different,” she said. “The steering is a bit quicker, because the Extreme E car can be a bit more lazy. I think it’s better and you get used to it. There’s many things that still have to be done, but I think it’s a huge step. It’s so much better than the Extreme E car, so I’m excited to be part of the development.”
In other Extreme E news, the series has announced that the ‘Race for the Planet’ docu-series will return with Season 3. They also announced that they have joined forces with the EY Foundation in an exciting initiative designed to provide young people with paid employability training, work experience and mentoring.
Ali Russell, Managing Director of Extreme E, said: “As a championship which is constantly looking ahead to the future, it was great to collaborate with the EY Foundation to support the next generation of talent coming through as a result of the Sustainability Technology Futures programme.
In Formula E news, while the series expects to attract more manufacturers to the Gen4 era, they are also contemplating at least two and possibly three races in the United States.
“In addition to potentially staying in Portland or returning to Southern California, Dodds says Formula E has also had conversations with interested parties in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, and Phoenix. And, like F1’s quick growth from just one U.S. race in 2021 to three in ’23, Dodds thinks the U.S. market is big enough for three FE races, too, maybe as soon as ’30.”
MotoGP has announced its major technical regulations overhaul from the 2027 season, headlined by a switch to 850cc engines and the use of sustainable fuel. “A previously announced element of the 2027 rules will be the use of 100% sustainable fuels, with the first steps towards that taken this year with the introduction of fuels made up of 40% non-fossil origin material.”
Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel has provided an update on the two championships’ sustainable fuel strategy. The ‘sustainable’ component was defined as being “either a second generation bio component or a component produced from non-bio carbon capture and synthetic process”.
“I had a meeting yesterday with Aramco to discuss about what we are going to do for next season,” he replied. “We will increase the percentage of the sustainability of our fuel for 2025. I don’t know yet where we’re going to be, because this is something we’re working on, and I don’t know yet if we will already have synthetic fuel – carbon capture in the air – for 2025. But we are trying to anticipate even what we said. So I can not give you a very detailed and very specific percentage of what we’re going to be next year, but yes we are moving forward and Aramco is a fantastic partner to do that [with] I must say.
The official FIA Safety Cars will run with sustainable fuels for the remainder of the 2024 Formula 1 season and beyond, and they started with last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. The official Safety Cars provided by Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin Lagonda will run on a 40% sustainable fuel mixture. This is a significant step on from the E10 fuel introduced to the F1 power units for the 2022 season, which incorporates 10% renewable ethanol.
And as Green Racing News broke down the numbers, the on-track cars represent a minuscule part of F1’s carbon footprint.
SUPER GT boss Masaaki Bandoh has revealed that custom hybrid systems could be a feature of the next-generation GT500 rules, which may be delayed until 2029.
“We’ve been discussing [the new rules] in the steering committee together with Toyota, Nissan and Honda, and what we are focused on right now is what we should do about hybrid systems and the use of electric power,” said Bandoh. “We are considering something like LMDh, with parts manufactured domestically, but also whether we could allow Toyota, Nissan and Honda to build their own motors using their own technological prowess and original parts, while keeping costs under control.”
Road & Track reports that NASCAR reportedly could add hybrids for new manufacturers. “The addition of hybrids would be part of a plan to bring in a new manufacturer, something NASCAR has publicly courted for over a decade. Honda and Hyundai are often mentioned as likely candidates and are again mentioned in the Sports Business Journal report, joining Dodge on the list of manufacturers that have reportedly considered joining Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet in NASCAR over the past few years.”
Getting to the Track Sustainably
Getting to the Track Sustainably is my occasional column on developments in sustainable transportation that could have some application to motorsport. Since most carbon emissions come from logistics and transportation, this topic is of utmost importance as motorsport works to make itself more sustainable. Here are some articles you may find of interest.
- Porsche is increasingly focusing on alternative drives in its transport logistics (Porsche)
- INEOS Inovyn collaborates with Daimler to trial Europe’s first heavy-duty liquid hydrogen truck (Freight Carbon Zero)
- Europa and DPD Netherlands partner to introduce HVO-100 fuel for sustainable transport operations (Freight Carbon Zero)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former 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.
