Formula E & UN Environment partner to reduce inner-city air pollution

The world’s first fully-electric racing series and UN Environment have joined forces to launch a global partnership to improve inner-city air quality, through the support of alternative energy solutions and uptake of electric vehicles (EVs). 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80 per cent of urban residents worldwide breathe polluted air and around 6.5 million people die prematurely from air pollution-related diseases each year.

Moreover, Transport contributes approximately one-quarter of all energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions today.

Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E, said: “We face big challenges ahead of us – climate change, inner-city pollution and producing energy in a sustainable way all around the world. That’s why we’ve teamed up with UN Environment to help continue the education process. Formula E aims to make the switch to electric cars make sense for consumers – more efficient and more affordable.”

The multi-year partnership aims to raise awareness of the numerous benefits of EVs among younger generations and motorsport fans across the world.

Specifically, the partnership will focus on educating future consumers of electric cars in addition to challenging major cities and governments to take action to tackle air pollution.

UN Environment said in a press release: “The new partnership will leverage the popularity of the FIA Formula E Championship, who bring electrifying motorsport to some of the world’s leading cities, including Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Paris, New York and Montreal.”

Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment, said: “Formula E puts a fresh spotlight on electric vehicles and is an exciting glimpse of what is to come – the age of clean, viable transport.

“Formula E and UN Environment share the aim to usher in this era and speed up acceptance of these technologies to combat air pollution. Air pollution has taken centre-stage this year as a serious public health threat, and with good reason,” he added.

The fully-electric racing series is working with Enel – the Official Power Partner of the FIA Formula E Championship – to promote the advancement of the championship’s power technology infrastructure.

Together they are developing ways to optimise clean energy generation, distribution and management, as well as showcasing advanced energy solutions.

Enel is also designing a fully- digitised energy mini-grid for Formula E, using its smart metering technology to monitor power usage in addition to giving fans the chance to interact with an advanced energy system in real time.

Formula E is committed to powering its cars with a virtually zero emission and 100 per cent renewable fuel, using their revolutionary Glycerine Generators. 

The new partnership between UN Environment and Formula E is the latest in a series of initiatives introduced by the UN agency to curb air pollution.

UN Environment’s Electric Mobility Programme works in 50 developing and transitioning countries to support their move from internal combustion engines to EVs.

UN Environment is also a founding partner of the Breathe Life campaign – the UN’s largest-ever campaign on air quality – which aims to raise awareness of global and local impacts of air pollution and the broad range of viable solutions for cities and governments to improve air quality.

Download our infographic on decarbonising the transport sector here.

Check out our past webinar with Julia Pallé, Sustainability Manager at FIA Formula E Championship, here.