Formula E: “It’s a Massive Undertaking”

Beijing’s National Stadium – the Bird’s Nest – makes for an unforgettable backdrop as twenty Spark-Renault SRT_01Es roll silently out onto the grid. Fans are on the edge of their seats at this historic moment in time – the start of the first ever all-electric motorsport world championship. And because that moment is only weeks away, Formula E is in preparation overdrive. DHL spoke with Gemma Roura, Head of Event Operations, to ask an important question: Will they be ready?

There’s just over a month until the world premiere of the FIA Formula E Championship in Beijing. Will you be ready?

In one word: yes. Over two months ago we held the official launch in Beijing with the full backing of the Chinese authorities. The track for the Beijing ePrix was signed off by the FIA, the first infrastructure holes drilled, and now preparations are in full gear. And the teams and cars are looking good after several rounds of testing at Donington Park. Obviously putting on any major international sporting event is a massive undertaking but so far everything is going to plan.

What have these past couple of months looked like? What is happening behind the scenes?

A lot! Everyone is very busy getting everything ready. We are definitely working overtime to make sure the championship goes off without a hitch. We have built everything from scratch, literally starting from nothing, but now we have teams, cars, a global race schedule with challenging temporary circuits in the heart of some fantastic cities, and great partners. It’s a huge task and it’s been a lot of hard work – and the work continues. After all, we are not only working on the Beijing ePrix but also all nine races that follow.

What are some of the challenges you face between now and September 13?

At this point we have everything in place, meaning the major questions have been answered so now we are focused on the details – dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s! The devil is in the details as they say so right now we are focused on making sure the operations we have in place run smoothly in Beijing. We want to get off to a good start and ensure that the world’s first ever fully-electric race is a global success.

Sustainability is a key factor for Formula E – a race series that hopes to accelerate interest in electric mobility and clean energy. What exactly are you doing to ensure that the championship is sustainable?

Our goal is to be as sustainable as possible in everything we do. Throughout the race set-up we are using new sustainable technologies such as a pioneering low-carbon system to charge the cars and solar panels to help provide our energy needs.

It’s important to remember that Formula E’s most valuable contribution to sustainability is its ability to promote the development of electric cars. Studies have shown that Formula E has huge potential for increasing the uptake of EVs which, in turn, have substantial social and economic benefits. We are excited to watch what will hopefully be a wave of new interest and innovation as Formula E travels around the globe over the next 12 months.

Are you looking to your partners for help? If so, how?

Yes. Each of our Founding Partners is playing a key role in not only supporting Formula E but also showing their green credentials, such as DHL’s GoGreen Program is helping to ensure our logistics are as sustainable as possible.

We have also partnered with three leading global foundations, including water charity ONE DROP, to help support the work being done by these good causes.

DHL is considered a pioneer in green logistics and brings a lot of experience in environmentally friendly transportation to the table. Have you benefited from this?

Definitely! DHL have been a driving force behind the Formula E project right from the start, transporting the very first Formula E car from Paris to Munich back in September 2013. Their expertise has been invaluable in helping us achieve our sustainability goals in everything from the transport of all our equipment and materials around the world – which, by the way, are currently underway by low-emission ocean freight – to advice on city logistics at each of our ten race locations. Next up will be delivering all 40 cars safely to Beijing in early September. Their work to deliver everything not only on time but also as sustainable as possible is vital to the success of Formula E and we’re quite thankful to have had them on board from the get go.

Upcoming interview with Head of Event Experience
DHL will be talking soon with Gerli Tava about what's in store for fans so stay tuned right here to DHL InMotion.