Autoracing - Can it be greened
Recently the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), a sports car racing series, unveiled an initiative to integrate environmentally friendly policies and regulations into the series. In 2007/early 2008 Formula 1 and the FIA announced it would be opening up regulations starting in 2009 to technologies such as regenerative breaking, with further steps planned in the the future. I’m wondering, does any of this matter? Is there really such a thing as the greening of auto racing, and can auto racing play any role in a world besieged by global warming and a diminished supply of oil?
To answer this question we must examine the proposed programs, the current state of green automotive technologies, and the opportunities that reside that haven’t been addressed in some form as of yet.
This January, the ALMS released its green racing initiative. It is not entirely clear what the specifics will be going into the future, but many point to the diesel power Audi LMP1 as an example of the future direction. The general directions they’ve defined include:
* The use of renewable bio-based fuel or fuels
* The use of multiple engines, fuels and powertrain configurations
* The use of regenerative energy powertrain technologies
* The use of well-to-wheel energy analysis and GHG analysis
* The use of emission control strategies and systems[1]
Nothing here is particularly groundbreaking. Little of it has been used in performance auto racing, but it isn’t clear there is anything groundbreaking here that is going to cause a paradigm shift in the relationship between auto racing and society. It all could evolve into another E85 ethanol fuel initiative in which case it is moving backwards rather than forwards. Comments from GM and Chevrolet, along with their recent marketing pushes, hint at Ethanol as at least a major focus of their projects. Corn-based Ethanol is extremely energy intensive to produce and could never be considered a legitimate alternative to oil. Until we see more of these plans in action, its not likely green innovation is really going to come out of ALMS. At the moment it looks more like a marketing strategy/vehicle for manufacturers more than anything.
The same can be said of Formula 1 related initiatives. Honda’s F1 initiatives have been widely criticized.[2] How can you green a dirty sport? You can’t polish a turd. And their technical update seem unlikely to cause any giant shifts in the path of green automotive technology. Technologies like regenerative breaking are already being explored in the consumer market. F1 could serve to popularize new technology, but outside of aerodynamics, little of the technology looks a step beyond the consumer programs. In some ways F1 is seeking to dumb down the technology by eliminating traction control and proposing budget limits. There are legitimate reasons for this, but not environment related.
So, where does that leave us? What role can or will motor racing play in the future? Unless something substantially more drastic occurs in the near future within the major series, the outlook is poor. Regulation from governments and social pressure seem more likely to have a lasting impact on the future green technologies in the automotive world. And the possibility remains that any innovation is really just a distraction from the fact that our automotive infrastructure and dependence is ending. In which case maybe we’ll be seeing train races in the near future, but I won’t hold my breath.
[1] ALMS: Green Racing Initiatives Announced, Marshall Pruett, http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/alms/42481/, 1/15/2008
[2] Honda’s ‘green’ initiative lambasted by some, PHil Huff, http://www.f1network.net/main/s169/st112642.htm, 3/2/2007
January 29th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I’m not surprised that auto racing’s green initiatives are not really that green, but at the same time - so what? What percentage of greenhouse gases are produced by auto racing? How much impact does auto racing really have?
I mean, they could run these cars on pristine Amazon rainforest lumber, I still don’t think that really amounts to a drop in the ocean compared to the rapidly industrializing east, the millions of SUVs on America’s roads, etc.
The environment is a major problem with plenty of complexity and issues to deal with, absent F1 racing.
January 30th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
In response to joshg:
My commentary was more based out of the fact I’ve had an interest in auto racing for a long time and I was curious if racing is even relevant anymore. Its gotten harder for series and teams to make money and many forms of racing are in crisis.
Many series were appreciated for their technical prowess and these days the only technical prowess really out there to be developed is efficiency related. Auto racing serves as a means to popularize new technologies and as a testing ground for them. Ex. paddle shifting, traction control, etc. in consumer cars originated in F1 style racing. I argue that most series’ don’t have that occurring anymore and aren’t serving as a testbed to solutions for everyday problems, when previously they did.
There just aren’t the resources to spend on the $$$ sink that is AR if there is no payoff to society. And actually it really is quite a wasteful sport in terms of emissions etc. Think of all the fuel 40 NASCARs waste going in circles for 500 laps. 40 times lets say 30 gals times 4 tanks. 4800 gallons of gas just for the race portion of one race, not including qualifying, practice etc.
February 18th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Interesting green idea with motorsports. Often overlooked is how long passenger vehicles last compared to 10, 20 or 40 years ago. Consumer expectations are that a new vehicle hit the 200,000k mile mark. This expectation could not have been met without auto racing. Above all, auto racing has made engines more efficient: (ie; more powerful, longer lasting, and use less fuel to achieve more power). As consumers, we reap the benefit of better engine technology with cars that last longer than they ever have before. That isn’t to say that components don’t fail… they do! All the time! But, complete engine failure is not a common problem. The same top and bottom end can be found on many vehicles eclipsing the 200k milestone. As for the green technology in racing… I would stick with pine-wood derby cars!
Cheers friends!