The hydrogen-powered Alpine Alpenglow will be taking to the track in a demonstration run with the H24, an electric hydrogen racing prototype from MissionH24 at this year’s edition of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The Alpenglow concept is just yet another example of the incredible innovation that pervades sustainable motorsport and this week you will get a few more examples.
It’s all part of this week’s edition of the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup on Motorsport Prospects. Your source for sustainable high performance motorsport news.
Sustainable Motorsport News
Formula 1 says it has reduced its carbon footprint by 13% between 2018 and 2022 on its quest to halve its emissions before 2030 continues in spite of its growth. Here are some of the highlights of their latest Impact Report.
- On track to be Net Zero by 2030 following 13% reduction in carbon footprint.
- Further 37% reduction versus 2018 baseline to reach our 2030 goal.
- Future plans include investment in alternative fuels, Paddock-wide green solutions and reducing what we send around the world.
The full report can be viewed by clicking here.
Following extensive consultation with the forest Rally community and forestry bodies across the UK, Motorsport UK launched its Sustainable Rally Charter during the 50th edition of the Rallynuts Severn Valley Stages on 13 April.
The charter provides a set of sustainable behaviors for clubs and competitors to action, demonstrating a commitment to the future of rallying. The accreditation will see clubs work together with Motorsport UK, venues, and spectators, to pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect biodiversity, and work with local communities to run events, that ensure they will go on for years to come.
Rally has faced challenges as a sport around its sustainability credentials and best practices within forest rallying across the UK.
Upon signing the charter, clubs will complete an environment impact assessment to measure the footprint of an event, through inputting their own data into Motorsport UK’s Carbon Calculator. Rally clubs will then be able to access a number of tools and resources as they work towards implementing sustainable objectives and goals.
Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) celebrates Earth Month by announcing a new sustainability platform, “One Team, One Planet” that will advance current ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) efforts throughout the organization and beyond. Under three main pillars, CGR’s sustainability goals include 100% renewable energy, zero waste, carbon emissions reduction, and community engagement.
“Motorsports may seem an unlikely platform to further sustainability. Growth of the sport occurred when fossil fuel-burning cars were the only option, but the industry thrives on technology and innovation. CGR will use its passion for innovation and continuous improvement to push toward a more sustainable future. Motorsports occupies a global stage and brings an opportunity to inspire change and uplift the communities where the team works and races. CGR looks to lead the way in creating a more sustainable racing future, by recognizing that the responsibility goes beyond our walls and toward the companies and brands that we support.”
As part of the upcoming 2024 Earthfest Conference, the Racing Green session will feature an interview with Julia Pallé, VP of Sustainability, hosted by Elizabeth Corse. “Experience the Racing Green podcast live! Racing Green explores the companies and individuals accelerating environmental change and offer the perfect stage for live interviews and Q&As.”
Bcomp, the Swiss-based developer and supplier of high-performance, natural fiber composites, has completed a US$40m Series C investment funding round. The round was led by EGS Beteiligungen (EGSB), a major Swiss institutional investor focused on growth-stage companies. Verve Ventures, Zürcher Kantonalbank and RKKVC are additional new investors.
“The success of this funding round speaks to the belief of investors in our high-performance decarbonisation solutions,” said Bcomp Chairman Christian Jaag. “This investment will expand our existing markets as well as propel our growth into exciting new sectors.”
The Global Sustainability Report looks at how sport can use social media to drive sustainability. “Ultimately, social is where more and more people are consuming their news and info, so if you want to reach people, you have to use it,” Jess Rogers, co-founder of Carbon Jacked, tells the site.
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
At round three of the FIA WEC, the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the H24, an electric hydrogen racing prototype from MissionH24 and the new Alpine Alpenglow hydrogen car will both take to the track.
“A new milestone will be marked on 11 May 2024. Minutes before the start of the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the H24 will complete several laps of the legendary Belgian circuit. It will also be in the company of another hydrogen vehicle – Alpine’s Alpenglow, equipped with a combustion engine while the H24 uses a fuel cell, supplied by Symbio.”
Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the high-performance arm of Red Bull Racing Group, is partnering with mobility technology company AVL to develop what the companies call the “next generation of ultra-high-power density fuel cell technology”. The target is to create a solution that is two-thirds lighter than conventional fuel cell systems, making them applicable to high-performance automotive, motorsport and aviation industries.
Rob Gray, technical director, Red Bull Advanced Technologies, commented, “We are delighted to be working with AVL on this collaboration to increase fuel cell power density and thus improve performance. It goes to show how beneficial the application of cutting edge F1 inspired engineering can be with solving real-world problems.”
Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains Product Confirmation Engineer Biagio Piccirillo explains the differences, and similarities in developing a race car in Formula and Formula E.
“A key difference is, of course, Formula E lacks an internal combustion engine as it is a fully electric series. Removing this large complexity allows Formula E to place more emphasis on efficiency and sustainability, presenting a different set of engineering challenges that rewards good energy management.”
Sustainable Racing
Grassroots Motorsports looks at the mods you need to make a Tesla Model 3 into a competitive racer. “Then there’s the fact that the Model 3, like all electric vehicles, has far fewer moving parts than ICE cars. “It’s simple yet complicated,” notes Mike Chang, whose Evasive Motorsports Model 3 placed first among EVs at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. “You don’t have to do much. Do what you normally would do to any other car for racing.””
What broke a class record at Lime Rock Park? Not any ordinary 350Z, but one with hybrid power. “During a Gridlife event at the storied Connecticut track, Sasha Anis laid down a sub-52-second lap in his gas-electric Nissan, beating a heavily modded C6 Corvette by 2.7 seconds.” Watching the car, KERS Kels in action at Laguna Seca in the video above.
Series News
There were plans for Formula E to introduce their Attack Charge pit stops in 2024 but it looks like those plans will have to wait until 2025, with suggestions that attack charge development would now take place away from races.
“The current status is that we have identified a couple of points that we still need to continue to work on, in terms of development,” FIA circuit sport director Marek Nawarecki told The Race. “We said that we prefer to let our suppliers and our teams continue to work in that part of development, the remaining part of development, outside of the E-Prix to not have any implications during the race weekend. When this development part will be completed, then we will take the decision about the possible implementation.”
After last weekend’s Misano Eprix, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds admits that the series is looking at multiple options for racing in Italy According to the Formula E Notebook. “Dodds admitted that a return to Rome or another Italian urban area is still on the agenda, saying “are we considering alternative venues in Rome or different setups in Rome? Yes, we are. But we’ve also got other conversations with other locations in Italy too.”” Thai city of Chiang Mai is also known to be a consideration for a future EPrix.
Formula E and the FIA have announced that they will unveil the highly-anticipated GEN3 Evo race car on Thursday 25 April during an exclusive evening launch in the build-up to the 2024 Monaco E-Prix.
Jeff Dodds, Chief Executive Officer at Formula E, said: “As we prepare to unveil the GEN3 Evo, we’re not just launching a car; we’re continuing to shape the future of racing. This next iteration not only exemplifies our dedication to innovation and pushing the limits of technology but also enhances our commitment to delivering exhilarating, competitive racing for our fans. We are setting new standards in performance that will intensify on-track rivalries and fan engagement, keeping us at the forefront of global motorsport.”
ABT have confirmed their entry for GEN3 EVO, starting Season 11, alongside newly-registered powertrain manufacturer Lola Cars, in technical partnership with Yamaha Motor Company.
Thomas Biermaier, CEO and Team Principal of ABT: “We are delighted to have found two renowned partners for our future in Formula E. Of course, it will be a big challenge for a new manufacturer to enter and establish itself in a world championship. But during our discussions and negotiations over the past few months, we have clearly sensed how skilled, motivated and determined Lola and Yamaha are to make this project a success – just like every member of our team. In the meantime, we are fully focused on the current season. Our goal is to achieve as many sporting highlights as possible in the coming weeks.”
Further details have emerged over the sudden cancellation of the NXT Gen Cup as a Formula E support series for 2024 according to Autosport.
“Sadly they couldn’t make it happen,” Dodds explained in Misano. “The reality of it is they had constraints on their side, nothing from our side, we were ready to do it, we were all good to go. The team put a lot of effort into getting it ready, they just couldn’t hit the deadline.”
EY has teamed up with electric vehicle racing series Extreme E to drive forward the sustainability agenda & celebrates a sport powered by renewable energy Thanks to Extreme E’s solid partnership with accountancy giant EY, their Season 3 finale reached a landmark 100% renewable energy milestone. EY’s report not only demonstrates its commitment but also highlights the strides taken towards sustainable motor racing, elevating the bar for green sporting events worldwide.
Adrian Newey has explained to Autosport what his vision is of what Formula 1 should be. “The biggest contributor by far has to be people attending the races. And in that sense, it’s no different to football or any other international sport. But it’s the image and the popularisation. So, I think that’s your first conundrum: the power source. Do you go for efficiency, which is typically relatively quiet, because noise is actually inefficiency?”
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.
