A brand new take on green fun, the third round of Formula E racing has seen some exciting upsets and challenges, all with a unique sound and lower emissions than typical race cars.
Emissions are everywhere, from your last cheeseburger to motorsports, but not in Formula E racing, at least nothing like Formula 1 racing. For example, the typical Formula 1 race car burns race fuel at an astonishing rate, fuel consumption around 75 ℓ/100km (liters per hundred kilometers) or just 3 mpg (miles per gallon).
From an emissions standpoint, Formula 1 racing is a disaster, each car generating nearly 2 kg of carbon dioxide per kilometer. During the Formula E third round race at Punta del Este, Uruguay, these typical racers would generate some 150 kg of CO2, generating the same amount of CO2, in a single afternoon, that a Toyota Prius c would generate in about a month. Formula E race cars, on the other hand, generate significantly fewer emissions. Has anyone run across emissions specifications for the Spark-Renault SRT_01E?
Still, why is Formula E important? Formula E isn’t just about racing, but is expected to encourage the research and development and adoption of electric vehicles. In the next decade alone, it is hoped that these developments, along with getting people excited about electric vehicle technology, could result in an additional seventy-seven million electric vehicle sales around the world. More than this, expanding adoption of electric vehicle technology in passenger cars and other transportation sectors will significantly reduce emissions associated with transportation.
Formula E round four will be run in Buenos Aires, Argentina, January 10, 2015.
