This past weekend (July 10th and 11th) New York City streets went electric as the 2021 ABB FIA Formula E returned to Brooklyn, NY. The Climate Group joined fellow EV100 members, including newly joined ABB, as proud supporters and partners of this iconic race.
Formula E represents the pinnacle of performance, innovation, and sustainability as electric mobility becomes the new normal. Beyond that, the ABB FIA Formula E Championship is an industry leader as it recently became the first global sport to be certified with a net zero carbon footprint from inception. Our partnership with Formula E is built on years of focused work through our programs to advance transportation electrification.
Photo (from left to right): Amy Davidsen (Executive Director, North America, Climate Group), Daniela Lužanin (Head of ABB Partnerships, ABB), Anand Mahindra (Chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra), Hannah Brown (Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, Formula E), Jean Todt (President, FIA), Nicolas de Rivière (Permanent Representative of France to the UN), Theodor Swedjemark (Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, member of the Group Executive Committee, ABB), Tommaso Volpe (Motorsport Global Director, Nissan), Vartan Badalian (EV100 Program Manager, North America, Climate Group)
In attendance from the Climate Group, Amy Davidsen, Executive Director, North America, and Vartan Badalian, EV100 Program Manager, North America spoke on the longstanding partnership between both Formula E and the Climate Group, and how our collective ambition is helping shape the next era of transportation.
EV100 is the Climate Group’s leading transportation initiative bringing together companies committed to making electric transport the new normal by 2030. Based on new data from the Climate Group’s RouteZero report “Fleets first,” fleets globally can cut 3 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030, similar to the annual emissions of India, the world’s third highest emitter. Thus, it’s crucial that businesses lead the shift to electric vehicles through their investment decisions and influence on millions of staff and customers worldwide. EV100 members are increasing demand, influencing policy, and driving mass roll-out – helping to make electric cars more rapidly affordable for everyone. Globally, EV100 has secured commitments from 111 companies with over five million vehicles committed to going electric and over 7,000 locations set to receive charging by 2030.
ABB recently joined EV100, along with the Climate Group’s other leading initiatives (EP100 and RE100) committing to electrify its fleet of 11,000 vehicles where economically and technically feasible by 2030. Through RE100, ABB has committed to using 100% renewable energy for their operations by 2030. The shift to electric vehicles is growing as the adoption of renewable energy increases, with the ultimate goal of powering all vehicles using clean energy. Through our EV100 Annual Progress and Insights Report, we are seeing just that, as 50% of members are charging their vehicles using renewable energy.
The excitement on and off the track was captivating. Beyond achieving the goal of winning the race, each team also shares the same passion for an electric future, which is becoming clearer each year as we progress in the climate decade. We congratulate Jaguar for an amazing win as Sam Bird finished in first for the 2021 ABB New York City E-Prix, and all the other teams for a tremendous performance, including Venturi Racing, Audi Sport, and Mahindra Racing.
As we look ahead, Climate Week NYC (September 20-26) and COP26 (November 1-12) present the next major moments for accelerating climate action. Climate Week NYC is the time and place where the world will gather to showcase leading climate action and discuss how to do more, fast. We hope to see you there.
