The FIA Formula E Championship celebrated its sixth birthday a week ago, marking exactly six years since the first race event was won by Lucas di Grassi in his Audi Sport ABT Spark SRT01-e. The series has evolved so much in that six years, becoming one of the most exciting single-seat racing championships in the world. On Monday the series announced that it had successfully offset every ounce of carbon emission that have been expelled on behalf of the series since its inception.
Following the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Formula E has become a net zero carbon emitting racing series, the first of its kind. FE has taken extraordinary measures to keep track of any carbon output, moved forward to reduce its overall footprint in any way it can, and whatever unavoidable emissions are expelled have been offset with carbon credits and infrastructure investment to deliver environmental benefits in each of the markets in which the series competes.
The stated goal from the beginning has been to reduce the series’ total emissions each year. In order to do that, the series has optimized its transport and logistics, extended end-of-life options for lithium-ion battery cells, and cutting out single-use plastics. With these steps in mind, Formula E has become the first racing series to receive a third-party ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management.
Reduction alone doesn’t get you to net zero, no Formula E then had to select projects to invest in all over the world to fit the Gold Standard and Verified Carbon Standard in line with the UNFCCC’s Clean Development Mechanism. FE wanted to fund renewable energy production to maximize the environmental benefit of driving electric cars. Through this program the series supports biomass energy in China, landfill gas energy capture in Chile, Mexico, the U.S. and Malaysia, wind power energy in Argentina and Uruguay, plus purchased renewable energy certificates in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Russia.
Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive Officer of Formula E, said: “The ABB FIA Formula E Championship aims to deliver better futures through racing, and we are committed to play a leading role in counteracting the effects of climate change. We have actively measured and reduced our emissions since our inception and are proud to have achieved a net zero carbon footprint by offsetting our remaining emissions.
“We have a responsibility to minimise the environmental impact of our global sport and are pleased to support vital environmental projects in each of our race markets. As a sport built on purpose, we remain committed to grow our sustainable practices and hope to inspire others to join us on our journey.”
For the future of our planet and the sake of all its inhabitants, anything we can do to reduce our impact on global climate change is a move in the right direction. I’ve personally paid for my local power company’s 100 percent renewable energy option based on my usage, and have purchased carbon credits for my travel, so this is just the kind of thing to make me love Formula E even more than I already did. Good job, electric racing dorks! We will make things better together.
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