Should Formula One racing turn 'green'?
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Though F1's use of hybrids next year may be a step in the right direction, it will likely take some time before the pinnacle of motorsport reduces its emissions noticeably.
With fuel costs hitting historic highs and environmental concerns hitting what seems to be a critical mass, you might think that auto racing would be on its last lap – especially the gas-gobbling Formula One race cars roaring around the track at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend in Montreal.
After all, during tomorrow's race, the 900-plus-horsepower F1 cars will reach speeds of up to 320 km/h around the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Each of the 20 cars will gulp fuel at a rate of 70 L/100 km, all the while emitting roughly 10 times the amount of greenhouse gases as a normal road car.
Maybe that's why the sport's governing body, the Paris-based Fédération International de l'Automobile (FIA), has announced that F1 cars will become gas-electric hybrids for 2009.
While many may applaud F1's efforts to join other racing series in recognizing the need to be environmentally conscious, others wonder whether the pinnacle of motorsport is merely "greenwashing" a form of entertainment that needs to burn tonnes of fossil fuels to keep its fans happy.
FIA president Max Mosley (who shrugged off a sex scandal this week) has admitted that the perception of F1 teams spending hundreds of millions of dollars (an estimated $2.9 billion in 2006) just to "eke out a few more horsepower" from their racing engines is "unsustainable, and wastes superb engineering resources on an ultimately futile objective."
That doesn't mean we'll see Kimi Raikkonen battling Lewis Hamilton for the driver's championship next year in Toyota Priuses, though the FIA proposal does steal one of the key technologies that make gas-electric hybrids so efficient. Like the Prius, F1's Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) will convert thermal energy through braking into stored electric energy – then feed it back through the engine to create a power boost.
"By bringing in (KERS)," said Mosley earlier this year, "we can ensure that the outstanding engineers and huge budgets available to Formula One will be deployed on energy recovery technologies which are directly relevant to the car industry's efforts to reduce CO2 emissions as well as the average motorist's fuel bill."
In fact, the 2009 F1 changes are "a wimpish form of hybrid," says Chris Ellis, CEO of HyKinesys, a California manufacturer of next-generation automotive hybrid systems that consults with F1 teams. Ellis points out that only an additional 80 hp will be allowed back on top of the detuned gas engines.
The real move toward an environmentally friendly F1 doesn't begin until 2011 – three years from now – with restrictions on the amount of horsepower a car's engine can produce.
"That's when a speculated, smaller, turbocharged F1 engine will have no more than 400 hp," says Ellis. The result will be greater fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
"Essentially, 70 L/100 km doubles to 35 L/100 km, and CO2 halves," he says.
Put another way, a "greener" F1 will still have twice the fuel consumption of a Cadillac Escalade SUV.
Many see the idea of saving the planet as contrary to the sport's raison d'être of speed at any cost, so a move by Formula One to dress itself up in such a socially conscious manner could be seen as simply a marketing opportunity with very little substance.
"F1 needs to be careful," says Rob Woyzbun, managing partner of The Marketing Works, a corporate marketing consultancy in Ottawa. "The market punishes blatant attempts by businesses to piggyback or hijack others' agendas. You can't simply leverage an attribute that's not part of your brand's DNA."
In most racing fans' minds, the F1 brand is diametrically opposed to anything remotely "green," says Richard Cooper, vice-president, Canada, J.D. Power and Associates. "I would assume there would be a lot of skepticism in what they are saying as truly legitimate."
Besides, the cars on the track may be the least of the sport's worries when it comes to painting itself green.
As Cooper points out, the F1 circus hopscotches around the globe. Each F1 team (which can include up to 100 members) now travels around 160,000 kilometres a year – flying to different countries for its 18 races a year, as well as spending several additional weeks of testing abroad, all of which adds to its huge carbon footprint.
For example, each F1 team member who flies this weekend on a 747 back and forth to Montreal from London, will create 2,600 kg of CO2 emissions for the round trip, roughly equivalent to about four months of driving in that Escalade.
"From an emissions standpoint, the logistics of the business are tangibly worse," says Cooper.
So should a sport associated so closely with tremendous speed and cut-throat competition try to remake itself as an agent for environmental awareness?
If only because of the sheer size of its potential audience, Formula One should do so, says Woyzbun. In addition to the tens of thousands attending the F1 events in Montreal this weekend, about 55 million people all over the world on average watch the races live on television.
"Any business that has that kind of constituency has a responsibility to raise social issues," says Woyzbun.
In fact, you could argue that developing a hybrid form of engine for racing is in keeping with the traditional image fans have of Formula One – that it is a leader in automotive technology.
"In terms of extracting the most energy from each gallon of fuel, F1 engines are already the most efficient (gasoline) engines we know how to build," says HyKinesis's Ellis.
Though Luca Marmorini, Toyota's F1 engine chief, called KERS "primitive" and "extremely simplified" compared to those in the brand's hybrid road vehicles, going hybrid may just be another in a long line of technical advancements for the sport.
Despite its seemingly minimal efforts in the short-term, some think F1's "greening" ways may really make an impression with environmentally conscious consumers and race fans – if it sticks to its guns.
"If they can demonstrate commitment – hopefully not a flash in the pan – then consumers will buy into it," says Cooper.
He cites Honda's F1 efforts. Despite its recent woes on the track, the Japanese automaker's successes in the 1980s and '90s (when Honda supplied engines to six F1 constructor champions and five driver championships) has left a positive image in the minds of consumers even today.
"The impression – and this is a direct result of success in Formula One – is that Honda makes good engines," says Cooper
Ironically, the only tangible changes as a result of F1's proposed efforts to go "green" may be better racing next season. While Ferrari and McLaren dominate this year's races, the addition of a relatively unfamiliar technology like gas-electric hybrid power may level the playing field, allowing others to share the podium.
"I think some of the people who are maybe struggling a little bit this year. For example, Honda, I think, have pushed a lot more effort into next year than we have been able to," says Pat Symonds, Renault's executive director of engineering.
"We may see a little bit of a shake-up of the establishment next year."
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