Mercedes announced its sustainability drive as it aims to achieve net zero carbon by the end of 2020 through F1 and Formula E medium.
Mercedes presented its sustainable business strategy for motorsport in the presence of Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton and Nyck de Vries as the German manufacturer eyes environment-friendly steps in a bid to help the world by balancing its carbon footprint.
It wants to use F1 and Formula E as the platform to achieve the same. As compared to the baseline set in 2018, it wishes to cut is CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2022 as it notes of important steps it has taken at its factories for the upcoming season.
The idea is to lead a net zero carbon situation by the end of 2020. Mercedes is also pushing change within F1 by taking a leading role in the FIA working group for sustainable fuels and increase the level of renewable fuels.
It wants to also increase the percentage of electric power in the F1 hybrid power units in future regulations. “We take a holistic approach to sustainability at Daimler – we take responsibility for the economic, ecological and social effects of our business activities,” said Markus Schafer, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG.
“It’s our ambition to lead the way to carbon neutral and sustainable mobility. F1 is one of the toughest technical competitions in the world and success can only be achieved by pushing technological boundaries every day.
“Our F1 team will achieve a net-zero carbon footprint in 2020 and we actively encourage F1 to take more ambitious steps towards CO2 neutrality for the entire sport and to race towards a sustainable future. With the direction announced today, we want to make sure that Formula 1 and Formula E enhance their positive impact for our brand going forward.”
Praising the new hybrid power units, Mercedes revealed that in 2014, the engines had thermal efficiency of 44 percent but in current times, the hybrid engine runs at a thermal efficiency of more than 50 percent – the knowledge of which is used in roadcars too.
“The entire automotive industry is in the middle of a massive change and Daimler very much leads the way in taking responsibility for sustainable mobility,” said Wolff. “We represent the three-pointed star on the racetrack, and we want our motorsport platforms to be a case study for the rapid and open-minded implementation of innovations for a more sustainable future.
“That goes from the hybrid and battery electric technology in our race cars, to our daily business practice at the racetrack and in our production facilities. We want to be at the forefront of this change.” Elaborating more on its plans, Mercedes stated that it aims to halve its CO2 emissions from 20,000 tonnes in 2018 to 10,000 in 2022.
They added that Mercedes high-tech chassis factory in Brackley is already using renewably sourced energy to power all its operations, while the Brixworth base is producing more than half of its electricity using solar panels and an on-site CCHP plant.
For the race track, Mercedes will eliminate single-use plastics from its catering operations, while low-impact hotel stays will be adopted among other changes. “Sustainability is very important to me personally; I’ve become more and more aware of the environmental issues we’re facing around the globe and I just want to have a positive impact and try to play my part in it,” said Hamilton.
“I’ve changed to a plant-based diet, I’ve changed the way I travel and started off-setting my flights, and I’ve started to drive both plug-in hybrids and all-electric Mercedes vehicles; I’ve also put sustainability at the heart of other ventures I’m involved in, such as my new clothing collection with Tommy Hilfiger.
“It’s great to see that Mercedes is taking responsibility for sustainability and that the entire Mercedes family is making huge efforts to tackle the issue; I hope I can make a meaningful contribution to that transformation as well.”
At the same time, de Vries added: “Formula E is a platform to showcase the performance of fully electric race cars and it’s great that Mercedes is taking ambitious steps to look at sustainability in motorsport in a holistic way. We are at the forefront of technology and we want to be at the forefront of sustainability as well.
“While our races are broadcast around the world, it’s important that we don’t just look at them, but also take the wider operation into account. It’s great to see the efforts that are being made at our hubs in Brixworth and Brackley, which benefit our Mercedes teams in both Formula 1 and Formula E.”
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