You don’t hear too much about Formula E – either on the track or in the media. But Formula E might get noisy in 2025.
Electric races don’t get seen by millions of fans on a popular Netflix docuseries, although they do have a dedicated YouTube channel. Formula E vehicles are relatively silent, both in the public eye and on the race course. The E- powertrains whirl, but just at 80 decibels.
A traditional Formula One (F1) race is, in their own words, “built on burning fuel.” This $17.1 billion dollar business (as valued by Forbes) is owned by Liberty Media, but supported by Aramco (Saudi Oil), gas/oil providers, and, of course, car companies and billionaire car enthusiasts. Like all modern corporations F1 racing gives a nod to corporate sustainability.
The Sustainable Plan (2020):
Back in 2020, Formula One issued an action plan with the aim of achieving a net zero carbon footprint by 2030. They also promised that all Formula One events would be sustainable by 2025. They probably won’t achieve that lofty goal, but they remain one of few sports committed to lowering the environmental impact, which like many sports, is centered on travel.
In a detailed accounting of greenhouse emissions, F1’s 2023 Impact Report states that less than 1% of the Formula One carbon footprint is attributed to fuel combusted by the race cars. The majority comes from sources you might not realize: the logistics of moving the race cars around, business travel, event operations, and, per their calculation, factories that make cars and parts.
Here are the numbers from the F1 Impact Report: In 2022, the 24 scheduled races produced a total of 223,031 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. Of these, 44% were due to moving the race vehicles between tony resorts and racetracks – the season consists of travel across 21 countries, and five continents. Another 29% of the emissions came from personnel flying to race sites on both commercial and private airplanes. Back on the ground, the race car paddock/ pit accounted for 12% of the energy use and 10% came from factories. This is all reported in an infographic by the Wall St. Journal.
Incidentally 223,031 tons of CO2 equivalent is equivalent, says this site, to 110,278,770 liters of gasoline.
The Travel Team:
Per the Impact Report, moving the vehicles and business travel accounted for 78% of the tons of carbon dioxide. Hypothetically, If the F1 cars stayed “at home” on a single track, in a single location, the event would have a very low carbon footprint . But, like most sports, it’s a travel team!
That said, the Formula One organization says that they are becoming more sustainable. They currently use hybrid powertrains that combine internal combustion engines with electric components. They are also searching for sustainable fuels to power both their freight haulers and race car engines. Their stated goal was to use 100% sustainable fuel in F1 cars by 2026 . It’s not evident that cutting-edge biofuels and synthetics can fill the bill.
Formula E- revving since 2014:
Meanwhile, there’s a step-cousin to F1 racing called Formula E, which began in 2014, eleven years ago. Notably, the first race was held in Beijing. The F-E sport has not reached the visibility and popularity of the F1 race. These fully electric cars resemble the F1 cars, but are slightly smaller than their petrol cousins. Formula E events are usually held on city streets, and getting permits and municipal buy-in can be costly in both time and effort. It’s also easier to set up a media presence on an enclosed race-track, not on open streets.
While the Formula E race gets less attention, there would be an interesting challenge if this sport was held on a racetrack with the F1 cars. In early Formula E races, circa 2018, vehicles were swapped out during the race, but advancements in super fast charging have made this unnecessary. Still, at top speeds, batteries discharge quickly. However, if the two types of vehicles are pitted against each other, the electric one will get off the mark faster with better 0 to 60 acceleration, and it might need fewer pit stops and tire changes. Perhaps in a newly imagined side-by- side race the number of laps would be shortened.
Side-by-Side!
F-1 and F-E would be an unusual and exciting race. Assuming a 50/50 split of petro and electrics, a given race would have 50% less fumes, 50% fewer air pollutants, and be 50% quieter. Fans might miss the petro smell, but the exhilarating noise of gear change and revving engines could be simulated.
A side by side race would give the Formula E race the opportunity to showcase a sustainable technology pushed to new levels And, it would provide an opportunity for an older technology to demonstrate a new commitment to sustainability. But most important, it would take place in front of millions of racing fans.