How Formula E is Leading the Charge on Electric Vehicle Innovation

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship officially began in 2014, after three years of development by the FIA president Jean Todt and a private investor. The championship sees 11 teams compete for the world championship title, with two drivers to each team. Major car manufacturers including Porsche, Audi, Nissan and Mercedes have joined the championship, which recently became the second single-seater racing championship to become an FIA World Championship – after the F1 itself.

Formula E’s mission has been to bring the importance of electric vehicles to a wider audience, as well as to effect change regarding CO2 emissions in sport and beyond. To this end, Formula E has had an incalculable effect on the development and success of electric vehicles (EVs) globally. Below are just some of the specific ways in which it has achieved this.

Consumer EV Uptake

Since the inception of Formula E in 2014, the number of electric vehicles on UK roads has increased dramatically. While larger manufacturers unaffiliated with racing programs have been funding development on electric cars for some time, innovation in Formula E has directly fed innovation for newer consumer models, increasing their viability in a wider consumer market – and leading to more people buying electric cars than ever before.

A key example lies in Nissan’s Leaf, one of the most popular consumer EVs on the market today. The Leaf has been commercially available since 2011, but has seen marked improvements since that first model – driven in large part by Nissan’s Formula E engineering team, and their landmark innovation with regard to battery capacity.

Partnership with SBTi

Formula E’s impacts are not only being felt directly in terms of EV development and manufacture. The championship is also breaking new ground on a wider basis, raising much-needed funding for global climate efforts as well as international awareness. One key way it has done this is through its historic partnership with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), setting a precedent for greenhouse emission reduction targets amongst other championships and racing executives.

With the Formula E Championship already a certified net-zero endeavour, its commitment to further reducing emissions in vehicle development and administrative infrastructure represents a landmark movement for the field of automotive sport. The move paves the way for other championships to effect meaningful change in their own structures, and strengthens a wider push in sports towards net-zero goals.

Public Image

Formula E and its ground-breaking climate commitments are not solely pushing for industry change from within; the championship is also fostering robust grassroots support through growing public awareness. It has adopted a unique approach to TV rights; significant media partnerships have been bolstered by a landmark free-to air coverage agreement with the BBC. This agreement has been attributed to significant growth in viewer numbers, raising crucial awareness of net-zero sports as a whole and increasing the cultural capital of electric vehicles.