Competition is key for brands. First, because the races are the best test bench for the technologies that companies will bring to their street cars. And secondly, because it is a showcase to the world. Therefore, it is inevitable that car racing will follow the same direction as the market. The Parliament of Europe approved the ban from 2035 on the sale of gasoline-powered passenger cars and commercial vehicles, diesel and conventional hybrids. For this reason, it is not surprising that the competition uses two complementary paths: Regarding electricity, in recent years championships such as Formula E, Extreme E (raids) and the World Electric Touring Car Championship (ETCR). And in turn, there are events like F1 that want to create zero-emission races by using sustainable laboratory fuels. The future is here and the involvement of manufacturers and events will go hand in hand. One of the examples can be found in FIA ETCR, championship that MD was able to visit with Cupraits current two-time champion, a few weeks ago at Sachsenring (Germany).
Cars with nearly 700 horsepower, from 0 to 100 in 3.2″
The performance of their cars is amazing. It’s about cars 100% electric close to 700 horsepower and reach 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds. Real asphalt rockets fighting hand to hand in short races, without management, just speeding up a lot. It’s inevitable to ask the million dollar question: How is it possible that these races are clean with so much power? The answer is for all to see.
The ‘Energy Station’
After each battle, each car (shared by two drivers) heads to the center of the paddock, where the so-called ‘Energy Station’ (energy station). There, all viewers can see how cars are loaded through a system that Xavier Gavory, director of ETCR, he explained to MD and even to a small group of Spanish press. “It will be located in a place that is visible to the public so that everyone can see the cars charging, verify that this is a simple technology and that if it is possible for car races, it is absolutely possible for all in our homes.”
The system is as follows: There are no diesel generators to create electricity, because that doesn’t make sense. Right next to the power station is a truck 300 kg of green hydrogen (clean fuel), with each race sourced from a different supplier to reduce the carbon footprint of its transportation. In a weekend race, about 220 kg was spent. The gas passes through several cables located above the impressive structure of ‘Energy Station’ to reach each charging point, one for each team, capable of charging two cars at the same time in less than an hour.
That gas reaches a generator, a fuel cell that turns nitrogen into electricity. This process also uses a small amount of distilled water, which the teams reuse for other tasks at the end of each event. The electricity reaches an engine that manages the charging of each team’s two cars. Within it, each column has a data panel. “Charge and car talk all the time because the engine recalculates the energy it should deliver based on the temperature and condition of each car,” he pointed out. Xavi Serra, director of Cupra Racingwhich makes it very clear that these vehicles can be fully charged with a street car charger.
The most surprising thing comes later. “We only used one battery per car all year. In the summer, we take them to Williams for checks and balances. They returned them to us and we continued with them. The life of their cells is for one season, sure, and possibly more than one”, he added.
And the transportation?
Therefore, the championship’s only carbon footprint is in transportation. Discovery, sponsor company of the FIA ETCR, is also working in this direction. His goal is that all travel in Europe by 2023 will be done by train. He also wants to reduce the teams’ personnel so that it influences fewer planes, and will ask each team to analyze the entire carbon footprint generated by logistics with the aim of reducing the global number of the tournament by 2023.
“Manufacturers have a platform in ETCR to promote their cars through electric races and we can promote electric mobility. This is a social responsibility of Discovery. We want to be the home of electric cars because we are the main shareholder in Formula E, we are the promoters of Extreme Eadvocates of ETCR and we will be advocates of Electric GT (electric GT competition). This is part of Discovery’s philosophy, telling stories to change people’s minds and do pedagogy”, he remarked. Xavier Gavoryhighlights the arrival of “surprises” by 2023 with new brands involved in the FIA ETCR, where Cupra, Hyundai and the private company Romeo Ferraris are now
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
