Racing Toward a Greener Future: Reflections on COP29’s Transport Day

A sometimes contentious COP29 recently concluded, and Formula E VP of Sustainability Julia Pallé reflects on both her optimism and concern after participating in COP29’s Transport Day. This week I also have an update on what has been happening with Electric GT since it was announced in 2021. I also have more great advancements in sustainable transportation and logistics in Getting to the Track Sustainably plus much more in this week’s edition of the Sustainable Motorsport Roundup.

Reflecting On COP29 by Formula E VP, Sustainability Julia Pallé

Racing Toward a Greener Future: Reflections on COP29’s Transport Day

(This post was originally from LinkedIn. A big thank you to Julia Pallé and Charlie Harbord for allowing me to repost it. You can read the original post with comments here.)

Reflecting on COP29’s Transport Day this week, I’m left with two distinct yet conflicting feelings: optimism and concern.

I’m optimistic for the global transition towards advanced and environmentally friendly transportation systems for several reasons:

Transport Decarbonisation: It remains central on the global climate agenda, aiming for a 70% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. While COP29 didn’t introduce major changes to existing policies, the focus on sustainable innovation signals potential reinvention in mobility—a vision embedded in Formula E’s ethos.

Innovation: Discussions went beyond electrification, exploring renewable fuels, zero-emission zones, and gender-transformative transport systems. These efforts reflect a holistic sustainability approach central to Formula E’s strategy where diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are as vital as environmental goals.

Aviation and Maritime Sectors: These industries hold significant opportunities for decarbonisation. Our work with DHL demonstrates huge progress, including sustainable air freight solutions and leveraging Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Climate Finance: Promising debates on funding mechanisms highlighted support for the Global South’s decarbonisation needs. At Formula E’s “Change. Accelerated. Live” events, we actively explore scalable climate finance solutions to advance sport and mobility.

Despite the positives, I have some growing concerns:

Public-Private Disconnect: There’s a critical need for stronger collaboration between organizations and governments to achieve climate targets. Formula E is committed to bridging this gap by engaging city leaders and showcasing sustainable innovations that align with public sector goals.

Fragmented Global Leadership: National priorities increasingly overshadow international collaboration amidst economic and political instability. While localised approaches are essential, unity is crucial. Formula E tailors sustainability programs for each host city, leaving a meaningful legacy for local communities through our Better Futures Fund among many other team-lead programs.

COP29 underscores the urgency of accelerated global cooperation. It also highlights how collective focus can drive sustainable progress. As an organisation racing against the climate challenge, Formula E remains committed to uniting sectors, stakeholders, and nations to advance clean transport technologies.

Do you think the annual COPs are fit for purpose? What else can we do to ensure global engagement in the fight against climate change?

Sustainable Motorsport Tech

Las Vegas Grand Prix

Motorsport.com looks at the futuristic tech that lets F1’s Las Vegas GP generate its own water.

“The Strip, boasting its own water supply in the form of privately-owned aquifers and wells, has been praised as a leader in conservation by doing a lot with little water supply. “It’s not a marketing tactic, and in fact, other states and cities often look to Las Vegas to figure out how to use less,” Elizabeth Koebele, a University of Nevada Reno associate professor of political science and affiliate faculty in the hydrologic sciences graduate program, said. The Palazzo, an Italian-inspired luxury hotel, has its own water treatment plant conveniently located in the lower parking garage. The resort claims that the quality of water reclamation is better than the city’s system. MGM aims to reduce water withdrawal intensity by 33 percent by 2025, and current conservation efforts have saved over 5.6 million gallons of water.”

Read the complete article here.

Formula E driver Lucas di Grassi makes the case for silver in high-end electric motors. “Electric motors are heavily reliant on copper, a remarkable material that has been used in wires and motors since their inception. However, could there be a better alternative for high-end motorsport applications?”

Read his reasons why silver has a future in this application here.

Series News

Racing Toward a Greener Future: Reflections on COP29’s Transport Day

Announced in 2021 by the FIA with a series launch in 2025, not much has been heard about the Electric GT championship since. Sportscar365 talked to the FIA’s deputy to the circuit sport director Stuart Murray about what has been happening since the announcement.

“It’s something that’s still continuing in the background,” he said. “It’s fair to say and I don’t sugar coat it in saying that it hasn’t been an easy process and hasn’t exactly gone the way we wanted it to. It’s aligning ourselves with the market. When we started working on that project, everyone thought we’d all be driving electric cars by now. The market hasn’t gone that way.

Read more here.

Maserati Tipo Folgore GEN3 Evo

The FIA has announced that Maserati has committed to an additional four years in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as a manufacturer, securing its participation in the highly anticipated GEN4 era. This landmark decision ensures Stellantis-powered cars will remain on the Formula E grid until Season 16 (2029/30).

Maserati, supported by Stellantis Motorsport, will leverage the GEN4 platform to develop road-relevant EV technologies, furthering its mission to advance sustainable innovation and electrification across its global automotive brand. The GEN4 car, developed by the FIA and Formula E, debuts in Season 13 (2026/27). It will feature groundbreaking advancements such as 700kW regeneration capacity and 600kW power output, setting the stage for faster and more energy-efficient racing.

Racing Toward a Greener Future: Reflections on COP29’s Transport Day

Formula E will race on a specially modified configuration of Formula 1’s Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia next February that will feature four new chicanes. The Race can reveal that the circuit will be a tweaked version of the circuit used by the WTCR touring car series in 2022 and will intersect at the Turn 4 area of the regular F1 track before feeding on to the Turn 21/22 part of the lap. Read more here.

Formula E Women Shootout

Sustainability Magazine looks at how Formula E is driving women into motorsports. “FIA Girls on Track aims to support the involvement of women in motorsports across all roles, that includes mechanics and car designers, not just drivers. Only 1.5% of total motorsport licensees are women, and this program aims to boost the percentage and allow women and men to compete as equals. Formula E has announced it will enhance its Girls On Track program plans to deliver across all race markets in Season 11 of the racing series.” Read more about their plans here.

Getting to the Track Sustainably

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Racing Toward a Greener Future: Reflections on COP29’s Transport Day
Racing Toward a Greener Future: Reflections on COP29’s Transport Day
Mark Boudreau
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.