Indonesia hosts electric motorsport for the first time this weekend as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship arrives in Jakarta.
The 22 drivers will be competing on a purpose-built 2.37 km circuit, set against the backdrop of Jakarta Bay. With 18 turns and a long, fast, start/finish straight, the track is designed to pull together the best elements of street racing.
Theodor Swedjemark, ABB’s Chief Communications, and Sustainability Officer said: “We are looking forward to seeing the ABB Formula E action taking place in this exciting new race location. Although it is a new market for the Championship, ABB has been supporting Indonesia’s economic growth for more than three decades, empowering the nation through leading electrification and automation technologies.”
Jakarta has experienced rapid urbanization in recent decades and with more than 10 million inhabitants, it is the most populous city in South East Asia. Increasing population density has given rise to a multitude of development requirements and Indonesian property development and management company, PT Putragaya Wahana (PGW), has risen to the challenge. It is developing a large-scale, mixed-use complex, Thamrin Nine, in the heart of the city, centered on Tower 1, which will become the tallest building in Indonesia and the Southern Hemisphere.
Building and maintaining the electric power network in high-rise buildings places great demand on ensuring uninterrupted power supply to crucial systems and equipment. ABB is delivering power distribution solutions to ensure the reliability of the electricity supply. Its UniGear switchgear provides the design flexibility and system protection necessary to satisfy the unique requirements of the project.
Another project where ABB is supporting development in Indonesia is the central government’s Gresik Drinking Water Project. With a capacity of 1,000 liters per second, it aims to improve the drinking water supply for the community and industry in the Gresik Regency. ABB is supplying drives and programmable logic controllers to improve efficiency, giving estimated annual energy savings of 37 percent, compared to traditional solutions.
The Jakarta E-Prix also hosts the latest staging of FIA Girls on Track on June 3, of which ABB is a global partner. The event will offer girls aged 8 to 18 the opportunity to explore multiple aspects of the motorsport industry through a set of activities and workshops. One of these will focus on ABB Robotics and feature the company’s two newest collaborative robots – YuMi and GoFa.
Further supporting this partnership, ABB’s latest video in its FIA Girls on Track series has been released ahead of the race, featuring award-winning Formula E photographer, Lou Johnson. The video explores her experience in the series, the challenges she has faced and the positive diversity and inclusion changes evident within the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. A new episode of ABB Decoded – the podcast that focuses on the technology and trends that are shaping our world – will be available on Friday. Featuring Formula E Founder and Chairman, Alejandro Agag, it explores how he came to create the world's first all-electric international single-seater championship, what inspires him, and what’s next.
Following Jakarta, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship heads to Marrakesh for round ten on July 2
