Formula E is making gains on and off the track and this week you will find out how. I also have coverage of the first Formula E Sustainable Innovation Summit in Tokyo, details of the Forze Hydrogen Racing Team’s fuel cell and putting the all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 N eN1 Cup Car through its paces on the track.
All this plus much more in this week’s edition of the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup on Motorsport Prospects. Your source for sustainable high performance motorsport news.
Sustainable Motorsport News
Tokyo, Japan played host to Formula E’s sustainable innovation summit Change. Accelerated. Live. last week, with a host of leading industry speakers on-hand to discuss the power of motorsport to affect positive change on the environment. Formula E’s sustainable innovation summit – Change. Accelerated. Live. brings together experts from across motorsport, sustainability, politics, education and more.
This year’s packed agenda included keynotes from Mastercard’s Erica Katayama and the University of Tokyo’s Professor Noboru Koshizuka, as well as panels on innovation in Formula E (with Nissan’s Tommaso Volpe, Andretti’s Roger Griffiths, and DHL’s Léopold Mathieu) and the future of automobility in Japan (featuring Toyota’s Yumi Otsuka, TIER IV’s Shinpei Kato, Omotete’s Urara Takaseki, and MLIT Policy Analyst Haruki Sawamura). FIA CEO Natalie Robyn and Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds also sat down for a fireside chat about the impact of motorsport in bringing sustainable changes for the automotive industry. More Sustainable Innovation Series events are set to take place alongside FIA World Championships throughout 2024.
“Ahead of the inaugural Tokyo E-Prix, we led the FIA Sustainable Innovation Series & Formula E Change. Accelerated. Live Conference at Tokyo University, with speakers Tomasso Volpe from home team Nissan – who’ve just signed up for GEN4 – Roger Griffiths the team boss of Andreti, Leopold Mathieu, EV Logistics Global Business Development Manager at DHL and Julia Palle, VP of Sustainability at Formula E. The discussion covered the power of racing in bringing positive change and raising awareness of environmental and climate issues.”
Embarking on an electrification project as a Formula E manufacturer alongside Yamaha represents the ‘first pillar’ in Lola’s revival, according to its motorsport director Mark Preston.
“Formula E marks the first stage in Lola’s resurrection. The company is also looking towards hydrogen and sustainable fuels, including a 24 Hours of Le Mans programme to cover the former. Le Mans organiser the ACO is planning to introduce a hydrogen class in 2027 and Lola wants to be there when ready. Its preference is to develop a hydrogen fuel cell solution, but is open to hydrogen internal combustion if the rules move in that direction. Currently, both options are allowed.”
Viking Offshore will be offsetting their sponsored drivers for 2024 with all their sponsored drivers competing with their competition-related carbon emissions offset by Carbon Positive Motorsport’s new offset your season package.
“For 2024 the company look to support initiatives that help make rallying more accessible to competitors through a funding initiative launched this year. The initiative, launched by Fergus Barlow for the 2024 Mull Rally, will also be supported by Carbon Positive Motorsport and is the first of its kind in the UK, with a focus on giving back to the sport.”
Politico asks the question, Can a Race Car Make Biden’s Climate Agenda Cool?
“Ever since May 2021, when President Joe Biden climbed into an electric F-150 on a blacktop test track in Michigan and put the pedal to the metal — returning to tell reporters, “This sucker’s quick” — the EV’s speed has been a potential presidential ally. It’s a sexy treat that can do the work of selling Biden’s huge and often-unsexy climate agenda. In the best of all worlds, Formula E’s high-tech cars would be a liberal answer to NASCAR — a major sporting phenomenon that seamlessly aligns with an entire political worldview. The notion has a long way to go. Even the White House hasn’t really noticed. Asked for comment on Formula E — and whether anyone in the West Wing even watches it — the administration declined to answer. “It feels a little out of our arena,” a senior press person at the Department of Transportation told me.”
Sustainable Racing
Road & Track have tested the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N eN1 Cup Car and they are convinced it will make you an EV track day addict. “Sound is just one of the unique touches in Hyundai’s latest track day toy, which will soon star in its own one-make race series. With a starting price of around $100,000 plus minimal on-track running costs, the eN1 is far more affordable than your average gutted and caged 601-horsepower racer.”
Highly modified electric vehicles have had a limited place in SCCA Autocross, until now. Discover what the SCCA Solo Events Board has in store for them here.
“In an effort to stay ahead of the emerging EV enthusiast market, a few years ago, the SCCA Board of Directors solicited for members and formed an Electric Vehicle Advisory Committee (EVAC). That committee is made up of some fantastic, motivated people who want to see EVs succeed in amateur motorsports. Some of them have even built their own EV race cars. The EVAC has been hard at work developing the Supplemental Common Rules for Electric Vehicles (SCREV). These guidelines allow the program boards (Solo, RallyCross, Club Racing, etc.) to adopt the safety rules that are applicable to their programs from a common set. If you’ve been paying attention to articles on SCCA.com or been to the SCCA National Convention, you’ve heard about the SCREV and maybe even read it and provided feedback on it (and to those who have: thank you!).”
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
The Forze Hydrogen Racing Team has revamped its hydrogen-electric Prototype racecar, with which it will contest the 2024 Dutch Supercar Challenge against conventional petrol cars. Race Engine Suppliers looks at the technology behind the hydrogen fuel cell.
“For the 2024 season, the LMP2 chassis-based Forze IX has two hydrogen fuel cells, four electric motors and an 8.4 kg capacity hydrogen tank with the gas compressed to 700 bar. The upshot is over 800 bhp peak power. The addition of a second fuel cell and an additional supercapacitor energy storage system, providing an extra 600 kW power boost over last year’s car, will see the Forza IX go faster with a longer range.”
Reaction from drivers during the recent IndyCar hybrid engine tests has been that it’s a whole new ball of wax. “It’s definitely a lot of new stuff for all of us as a team to digest and run through,” said Ed Carpenter Racing driver Rinus VeeKay. “It is fairly similar; there are just a lot more buttons I need to press, and a lot more stuff I need to go through. Usually, I have a clue about knowing what we’re doing, but this is all new, so I’m still learning.”
The Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has announced that its factory squad, Team HRC, will compete in the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup, an international electric all-terrain motorcycle racing series. The two-bike effort will deploy the CR Electric Proto, an all-electric motocross machine and Race Engine Suppliers looks at the technology behind the bike.
“That prototype used a motor developed by Honda offshoot Mugen. It built an electric motocross bike back in 2017, and raced its Mugen Shinden electric bike to success in the Isle of Man TT Zero. The electric prototype used the established CRF 250 motocross bike as its basis, fitting an electric motor, power controller and battery pack between the frame rails instead of a 250 cc single, and there was no clutch.”
Ferrari has filed patents for a novel, hybridized engine running on hydrogen and using forced induction via an electrically driven turbocharger setup. In the patent filings, Ferrari proposes an I6 configuration, in an upside-down arrangement, though also suggests that either V6, V8 or V12 layouts could be used.
“The use of H2 for fuel (with either direct or port injection covered) is a logical choice for a manufacturer that has expressed a wish to retain ICE for as long as possible. However, the choice of engine layout is certainly unconventional, and the forced induction system clearly draws on its experience in motorsport.”
Full details here:
- Ferrari Patents a Strange Hybrid Hydrogen Car With an Upside-Down Engine (MotorTrend)
- Ferrari patents inverted I6 hydrogen engine with electric turbocharging (PMW)
Despite the fact that it has been continuously postponed due to various technical issues (see below), Susan Wade of AutoWeek explains why EV owners should be excited about about Formula E’s upcoming Attack Charge technology.
“Attack Charge is a display of cutting-edge technology designed to help the EV consumer directly. It is meant to assure every EV owner of the capability of rapidly charging the battery in his street-legal car. It charges at a rate of up to 600 kW, considerably faster than the 250-350 kW that mark consumer-available fast chargers.”
Series News
Formula E has come off a very successful Japanese debut with the Tokyo E-Prix earning overall praise. Additionally, the all-electric series has had record viewership and engagement gains.
- Cumulative TV Audience Surge: Season 10 has seen a remarkable 40% increase in cumulative TV viewership in its first four races, jumping from 62 million in Season 9 to 86 million.
- Live TV Audience Growth: Live broadcast audiences have grown by 37%, with 61 million tuning in live cumulatively compared to 45 million in the previous season.
- Social Media Surge: A significant 44% boost in social media impressions, reaching 351 million, while video views on Formula E’s platforms have skyrocketed by an impressive 134% to 267 million in Season 10.
- Web/App Engagement: The championship’s digital platforms, including its website and app, have attracted 28% more users totalling 1.2m.
- Fanbase Expansion: Impressively, the series’ fanbase has expanded by 37%, demonstrating Formula E’s ability to excite and innovate, as reflected in the significant increase in perceptions of the sport as ‘exciting’ (up 30%) and ‘innovative’ (up 42%); the total attendance at races also increased by 12%.
While in Tokyo, news emerged that Formula E was facing further delays with their Attack Charge plans but series CEO Jeff Dodds was unapologetic.
“Somebody asked me the other day, ‘Are you a bit embarrassed because you started this thinking, whatever it was, five years ago, and haven’t launched it?’ I’ll be absolutely clear. We are at the cutting edge of technology, and we are a business that thrives on learning, testing, learning, testing, learning. We want to continue to grow. I will never apologize for us testing out cool stuff and it being quite complicated.”
Vitas Carosella of Forbes looks at the implications of Nissan committing to Formula E’s Gen4 era as well as their overall sustainability plans.
“By recommitting to Formula E until 2030, Nissan has staked its future on electrification. The Japanese company sees Formula E as the perfect breeding ground for success, and one in which it can continue to innovate and “test itself against the toughest competition.” While Nissan helps manufacture the next generation for Formula E technology, it will also be raising its ambitions in relation to commercial EV production. The Japanese company is aiming to introduce 34 electrified vehicle models between 2024 and 2030 and has an objective of making 60% of its vehicles EVs by the end of the decade.”
Organizers of the STCC have unveiled the first completed Volkswagen ID.3 for the first all-electric season of the championship during the Custom Motor Show in Jönköping, Sweden.
“We have now revealed all four electric models ahead of the 2024 STCC season, where the Volkswagen ID.3 joins the Tesla Model 3, CUPRA Born and BMW i4 in a strong and relevant starting field with the latest electric models,” said Micke Bern, CEO of STCC. “Volkswagen models have competed successfully in the STCC over the years with a total of three driver’s titles and 38 race victories. The ID.3 is also one of the world’s best-selling electric car models and it will be a lot of fun to see it on our Swedish tracks during this year’s season.”
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.
