The race also sets an international motorsport precedent: a race that’s contested partly indoors. The city-street circuit, where 24 drivers will compete for an edge in the breathtakingly tight season 7 title race, starts and finishes indoors, inside the London ExCeL exhibition enter.
Contesting a race of top-level motorsport indoors is practical only because the cars of Formula E, engineered for a competition that’s both riveting to watch and sustainable for the planet, are powered solely by the energy stored in their battery packs, producing zero pollution and no greenhouse gases. The signature note of the electric powertrains announces a transportation future that is compatible with the planet’s health – subdued in volume level yet distinctive in pitch.
The course of the Heineken London E-Prix, drawn for a 2020 race that was postponed as a result of the global pandemic, traces a route of 2.25 kilometers (1.4 miles) that includes a considerable indoor stretch. Situated on the Thames waterfront in the docklands area of East London, the challenging 22-turn layout includes a back-to-back hairpin complex that lies between the course’s shorter straightaway and the sweeping right-hander that leads to the Attack Mode activation zone. The double-header event will follow strict COVID-19 protocols, created under guidance from the relevant authorities, to enable it to take place in a safe and responsible manner.
The involvement of ABB in facilitating sustainability in London, and reaching more broadly across Britain, is both deep – literally – and widespread. Beyond projects like supplying a load-monitoring system to help extend the life of London’s landmark Tower Bridge in 2016, the electrification leader is the provider of a power upgrade program for the London Underground. ABB switchgear was specified to accommodate increased demand and reliability for the system’s power supply, as 192 new air-conditioned trains were introduced on existing lines in 2017. The new trains in the fleet will enable London Underground to provide more frequent and reliable passenger services.
In 2019, ABB opened a new center of expertise in the British capital to accelerate adoption of safe, smart and sustainable electrification solutions as part of a “smart city” development initiative. This facility places ABB closer to its partners in the UK’s e-mobility, data center and digital infrastructure sectors, enabling the leader in digital technologies for industry to work closely with them in further developing solutions for these key areas.
The expertise of ABB is also helping to promote sustainability in the UK’s maritime industry by expanding the portfolio of e-mobility in marine applications. With ABB’s Azipod propulsion and energy storage, new vessels in the fleet of P&O Ferries, which runs up to 23 sailings a day across the English Channel from Dover, England to Calais, France, will reduce fuel consumption on the route by 40 per cent.
The 230-meter-long vessels incorporate a pair of Azipod units and a bridge at each end. With this design the ships will not have to turn in port. Additionally, the Azipod solution’s batteries will provide full power for harbor maneuvering and in-port stays and will prepare the vessels for a zero-emission future as more electric shore charging stations become available. ABB’s full scope of integrated solutions on two super-size hybrid ferries, to become operational in 2023, will be pivotal to P&O’s sustainability program.
The London races represent a homecoming of sorts for the championship organizers, FEO, and for several of the ABB Formula E teams, who are based in England. This is particularly true for British driver Sam Bird, who races for Jaguar and who leads the points standings, on 81, after a brilliant round 11 recovery win in New York. There will be no letting down his guard, though: António Félix da Costa of DS Techeetah, the reigning series champion, and Robin Frijns of Envision Virgin are just a few points behind – both on 76. The competition for the teams’ championship is also close in the extreme: Envision Virgin lead the standings with 146, followed a few points back by DS Techeetah (144) and Jaguar Racing (141).
From the British capital, the series travels to the historic site of the Tempelhof Airport circuit in Berlin for the final rounds of the 15-race season 7 championship.
Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship launches in January 2022 in Saudi Arabia and adds the new race sites of Cape Town, South Africa, Vancouver, Canada, and Seoul, South Korea, where the season will finish..
