The power of fuel will be overtaken
by electric energy in a new global auto race being used to showcase
eco-friendly cars.
The Formula E series, set to launch in 2014, is aiming to
rival Formula 1 -- but with electric cars.
Formula E chief executive Alejandro Agag believes the future of the
automotive industry, particularly in cities, is electric. He hopes the auto
race will help promote the wider use of electric cars.
Agag wants the Formula E series to take place in "the heart"
of the world's leading towns. It will be showcased in "cities committed to
clean mobility and sustainability," Agag told CNN's Quest Means Business.
"We think we can be of help to those cities that are promoting the use of
the electric car, by making it more popular."
Staging the races in city centers rather than on traditional race
tracks will highlight the practicality of using battery-powered vehicles in
urban areas.
Formula E representatives are in talks with major cities around the
world about the contest, with a particular focus on emerging economies and
Asia.
"We
believe that cities are the natural environment for electric cars," added
Agag. "The extended use of the electric vehicle will play a very important
part in reducing city air pollution."
Brazil's Rio de Janeiro has already signaled its willingness to
host an Electric Grand Prix in 2014.
Over the next four years the Brazilian city will be a global hub of
sport as it hosts the soccer World Cup in two years and the Olympic Games in
2016.
"Rio is a city with a special commitment to sustainability, as
the recent global environment summit has shown," added Agag, referring to
Rio+20. "We will be proud to race there from 2014 onwards."
He noted: "In Mexico we are coordinating with key figures
including Carlos Slim (Telmex's CEO and the richest person in the world) and
Federico Alaman (Mexico City promoter), to identify the best locations in the
country."
The Formula E cars will be capable of speeds over 200 kilometers an
hour, and rather than substituting tire at a pit stop, the driver will change
cars instead. The plan for Formula E's inaugural season is to have 10 teams and
20 drivers, with the possibility of adding more teams in future.
The auto championship will work in partnership with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) -- motorsport's governing body -- for
the promotion of clean mobility and sustainability.
Agag wants to use racing to promote research into electric vehicles
with a focus on younger generations, in an effort to push the message of
sustainable energy.
He added: "To make people believe that they need an electric
car and a more sustainable lifestyle... We want to show everyone what these
cars can do."
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