How Formula 1 innovation can drive a net-zero future is just one of the topics covered in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup. Motorsport is uniquely positioned amongst all other sports to directly contribute global sustainability solutions, and you will see how this week. I also have news on a “Battle of Technologies” on the track, dealing with an electric dragster fire and much more.
Sustainable Motorsport News
CNBC explains how Formula 1 can help engineer the world’s net-zero future. “Unlike soccer, which produces more than 30 million metric tons per year by some estimates, F1 has the engineering capabilities to provide solutions. “If we all lean in together, we can bring in skills, expertise and experience from really unusual places, combine them and make a really big difference,” McLaren’s Director of Sustainability Kim Wilson told CNBC.”
Read the full article on the CNBC site here.
In partnership with Graphite Additive Manufacturing, Racecar Engineering looks at how motorsport innovation is driving clean energy.
“Motorsport is known for its relentless pursuit of innovation, where performance, weight, and efficiency are pushed to the absolute limits. While these developments are often born out of the need to gain fractions of a second on the track, the technology that powers racing cars frequently finds new applications in other industries. One such example is how advanced materials and manufacturing techniques, originally honed in motorsport, are now driving clean energy solutions. Graphite Additive Manufacturing has seen this crossover first-hand through their work with Intelligent Energy, where motorsport expertise has contributed to the development of lightweight and highly efficient enclosures and casing components for their hydrogen fuel cells, which power drones.”
You can read the full article here.
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
I mentioned this car a few weeks ago and linked to an article on Bcomp’s website that dealt primarily with the innovative and sustainable materials used on the car. This time, Racecar Engineering goes into even more detail at how Škoda Motorsport has developed an electric racecar concept based on the Enyaq Coupé vRS that aims to demonstrate the company’s sustainable technologies for future production usage.
“Developed by the Czech manufacturer’s racing department, the Škoda Enyaq RS Race is 316kg lighter than the electric road model on which it is based, courtesy of weight-saving biocomposite parts incorporating flax fibre. These have been installed on several parts of the car’s body, including the bumpers, wing panels, roof and vent, and rear wing. Inside, the same materials have been used for the dashboard, door panels, footrests and roof, in place of the road car’s panoramic sun roof.”
You can read the full article here.
The first episode of Hansen Motorsport new series! The 2024 World RX season kicked off with new faces, new tyres, and a new sporting format, as the teams headed to Höljes, Sweden, and the eagerly anticipated ‘Battle of Technologies’ racing came to life. For the first time, cutting-edge electric cars – introduced to World RX two years ago – are going wheel-to-wheel with sustainably-fuelled RX1 combustion cars. But which will come out on top? Watch Episode 1 above.
I was recently chatting with Jeremy Aston-Phillips of Rowe who introduced me to their new range of bio/synthetic lubricants Rowe Sunspeed Oils that they recently launched. As with all ROWE products, these are all manufactured sustainably in their state of the art facility in Worms Germany. Their plan is to expand the range to mirror the fossil based products over the coming years.
You can find more about Rowe Sunspeed Oils here.
On the race track, things can go bad in a hurry. And, when it comes to electrical fires, it can escalate exponentially into high-risk territory. As electric vehicles and battery-powered technology become more mainstream, the potential for possible problems also increases precipitously. Recently, the safety team at Wagler Motorsports Park in Lyons, Indiana, handled an alarming emergency involving an electric Junior Dragster and an explosive battery fire. Fortunately, everyone escaped unharmed, and the lessons they learned in the mitigation process will hopefully help many other track operators, racers, and crew.
“Wrightsman also stressed the fact that no matter what fire extinguishers the team used, they wouldn’t be able to extinguish the battery fire once it was in a thermal runaway state. So, the next best thing they should do is try to keep the car around the battery as cool as possible to avoid further propagation, and that water on the battery itself can prolong the event, ideally for control measures usage.”
Read more at Dragzine here.
The October 2024 issue of Professional Motorsport World also has a number of sustainable motorsport topics featured including:
- Ford’s SuperTruck is pushing the boundaries of EV tech
- How Extreme H is going racing with hydrogen
You can read it here.
The November 2024 issue of Race Tech Magazine has a number of great articles on sustainable motorsport including:
- EXTREME H’S SECRET WEAPON: If you thought active suspension had been consigned to the history books, think again. Chris Pickering explains why
- THE RECYCLED RALLYCROSS CAR: Hal Ridge reports on a Rallycross revolution: the FC2 concept created through a process that recycles and updates the current Supercar Lites platform
You can order your copy here.
Series News
The tragic floods in Valencia forced Formula E to move their pre-season testing to Jarama on short term notice but things have kicked off in force this week. Here are a couple of notes.
GEN3 Evo quick facts (Formula E Testing Preview):
- Capable of 0-60mph in 1.82 seconds (0-100kph in 1.86s), 30% faster than a current F1 car
- New reinforced body kit that enhances aerodynamics and durability
- Enhanced all-wheel drive capabilities available in key race moments, including qualifying duels, race starts, and ATTACK MODE
- Optimised Hankook iON all-weather tyres, delivering superior grip
- Increase in percentage of reusable materials in the tyres, from 26% to 35%
- Formula E announced the launch of a comprehensive support initiative of at least €50,000 to provide both immediate relief on the ground and long-term assistance to the impacted communities in Valencia following recent devastating flooding to the region.
- Da Costa tops opening day of Formula E testing at Jarama (Autosport)
- Guenther sets pace on second day of Formula E pre-season test (Autosport)
- How Formula E resolved its logistical nightmare to save its pre-season test (Autosport)
In other Formula E news, as the series celebrates its 10th anniversary and looks to testing with a revised car, Autosport spoke to series CEO Jeff Dodds to discuss its progress and plans for the future and why Formula E is a series for a different generation.
“I talk about there being three different time horizons for Formula E,” says Dodds. “The first being the plucky start-up phase. Then you’ve got this disruptive teenager phase, and then hopefully we’ll go on and be a kind of maturing adult. If I talk to my children – one of them is a big motorsport fan – the reality is, they’ll probably never drive a car that’s not electric.”
You can read the full interview here.
McLaren have revealed their new livery for Season 11 of Formula E. “McLaren has opted for a fresh new look, which still features the company’s iconic papaya and black combo, but in a new design.” Read more at RacingNews365 here.
The World Rally Championship (WRC) looks set to drop hybrid power from next season, according to Motorsport.com. “It is not a request to remove it for what it is, it is a request to remove it because we can’t actually repair and run them at an economic price for M-Sport. We are talking a few extra million euro to do it and that is not something we can deal with,” M-Sport team principal Richard Millener told Motorsport.com.
Series organizer of the British Touring Car Championship – TOCA – has announced some of its latest rules and regulations with the introduction of 100% sustainable fuel headlining developments for 2025, whilst the use of hybrid power has been discontinued.
The new fuel – designated Hiperflo ECO102 R100 – is specifically engineered to maximise performance, compatibility, and sustainability. The fuel is 100% fossil-free, meaning all components are derived from synthetic and biological (i.e. non-crude) sources. Hiperflo ECO102 R100 conforms to the highest FIA and ISCC compliances.
Read more at the BTCC site here.
Euronews Business explores how the E1 electric boat racing championship is making the sport more sustainable. “According to Basso, the E1 championship focuses on ‘innovating by cross-fertilisation’. He told Euronews: “From a cultural and technology standpoint, we wanted the championship to be the meeting place of powerboating, sailing and motorsport.””
Read more at EuroNews here.
Getting to the Track Sustainably
- The Alpine V6 H2ICE (Race Engine Technology)
- Hyundai Intium concept previews Nexo fuel-cell SUV successor (Green Car Reports)
- 2025 Lucid Gravity costs $94,900, targets 440 miles of range (Green Car Reports)
- Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Prototype Laps the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:46 (Road & Track)
- Like jerrycans of gas, Toyota’s hydrogen cartridges offer portable fuel for clean cars (Trend Watching)
- Hyundai’s RN24 Concept Packs Ioniq 5 N Power in a Tiny Chassis with Rally-Ready Ideas (Road & Track)
- DHL launches video series on electrification and sustainability trends in logistics (Freight Carbon Zero)
- Freight Carbon Zero Think Tank: Unlocking the challenges of heavy duty electric truck charging infrastructure (Freight Carbon Zero)
- Sirius Aviation Plans to Disrupt Aviation Industry with Hydrogen-Powered eVTOL Jets by 2028 (HYSKY)
- Flying Green (JetSet Magazine)
- California’s sustainable aviation fuel supply will increase by 200 million gallons. Here’s how (Fast Company)
- Advanced Air Mobility Sector Welcomes FAA’s eVTOL Operating Rules (AIN)
- Gulfstream Completes 100% SAF Emissions Tests (AIN)
- Still In Its Infancy, SAF Growing by Leaps and Bounds (AIN)
- Green jet fuel producers are crossing a daunting climate tech barrier (SEMAFOR)
- Bizav Industry Leaders Weigh In on Tracing Path to Net Zero (AIN)
- Future of Air Mobility: Highlights from UP.Summit 2024 in Bentonville by Up Partners (HYSKY)
- Southwest Airlines Launches New Inflight Cup and Stir Stick Designed to Reduce Annual Single-Use Plastics by More Than 1.5 Million Pounds (Southwest Airlines)
- Airbus Pushes U.S. Engine Makers to Accelerate Hydrogen Development (HYSKY)
- Airbus, Kansai Airports, and Kawasaki Join Forces for Hydrogen Feasibility Study at Japanese Airports (HYSKY)
- Electric Air Taxi Start-Up Lilium Has Run Out of Money (Robb Report)
- Piasecki Advances Hydrogen-Electric Helicopter Demonstrator with Key Modifications (HYSKY)
- eVTOLs and eSTOLs Could Reshape Private Aviation (AIN)
- First Solar-Powered Ferry Constructed with Natural Fibre Composites is Launched on Adriatic Sea (Bcomp)
- Feedstock availability and aviation demand challenge biofuel adoption in shipping (BioFuels International)
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.
