UN Environment races ahead with Forumla E partnership

Formula E, the world’s first fully-electric single-seater racing series, has joined forces with UN Environment to launch a global partnership to improve inner-city air quality.

The partnership will focus on raising awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles among younger generations and motorsport fans.

(l-r) Jean Todt,FIA President, Erik Solheim Head of UN Environment, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, and Alejandro Agag Founder & CEO of Formula E

The FIA Formula E Championship is the world’s first fully-electric single-seater racing series, competing on the streets of cities including Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Monaco, Paris, New York and Montreal.

The 40 participating fully-electric Formula E cars are powered by generators using zero-emission glycerine, orgainsers say. The generators are based on standard production diesel engines that have been adapted with Aquafuel’s patented technology to run on glycerine. The fuel itself is a by-product of the bio-diesel production process.

Spotlight

Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, said: “Formula E puts a fresh spotlight on electric vehicles and is an exciting glimpse of what is to come – the age of clean, viable transport.

“Formula E and UN Environment share the aim to usher in this era and speed up acceptance of these technologies to combat air pollution. Air pollution has taken centre-stage this year as a serious public health threat, and with good reason.”

Jean Todt, FIA President, said: “We welcome the partnership between UN Environment and the FIA Formula E Championship and I look forward to see this relationship growing. When we created Formula E, one of our main goals was to raise awareness of issues of environmental sustainability and drive the development of technology which will be beneficial to our future and that of our planet. As we go racing with fully-electric vehicles in some of the greatest cities around the world we are spreading this message, and this collaboration with UN Environment will help us to reach
even more people.”

UN Environment sees electric transportation as one of the essential components of achieving more sustainable and cleaner cities. Its Electric Mobility Programme works in 50 developing and transitioning countries to support their move from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles.