Formula E
Preview: Long Beach ePrix
The coastal city of Long Beach is part of the extended metropolitan area of Los Angeles. With a population of just under 18 million, the “City of Angels” is one of the largest urban conglomerations in the world. Almost four million of LA’s inhabitants live in the city itself, the rest in the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.
But there is far more to the megacity than Hollywood and surfing. Los Angeles is a pioneer and role model in terms of sustainable living and development – and that’s what qualifies it as the ideal host for the most innovative racing series in the world.
The metropolis on the Pacific coast is in a constant state of growth and has therefore devised the Sustainable City pLAn. The purpose of this project is to enable Los Angeles to grow sustainably over the next 20 years. The plan focuses on 14 different issues such as housing, transport, energy, water and waste management.
One of the most important areas is transportation. In 2015, the city launched an initiative dubbed “L.A. Leading by Example: EV Car Sharing Pilot for Disadvantaged Communities”. This government-subsidized program is intended to make electric transport available to the residents in the poorer parts of Los Angeles. Car-sharing stations have been opened in the most disadvantaged districts of Los Angeles, including Downtown, Koreatown and Pico Union. The city hopes to reach 7,000 commuters and reduce car use by around 1,000 internal combustion vehicles per year, equivalent to a saving of 2,150 tons of CO2 per annum.
Los Angeles also leads the way in terms of renewable energy. Take for example the imaginative Zero-Energy Buildings program, according to which all commercial buildings constructed in the megalopolis after 2025 must be self-sufficient in the electricity they use. So-called “zero-energy buildings” make this possible – they power themselves by means of their own solar generators. Since the sun shines on average 345 days of the year, Los Angeles has the right prevailing conditions.
With such a large number of projects in progress, Los Angeles is the perfect place to stage Formula E, because the electric motor-racing series has set itself the goal of making its mark wherever it goes in terms of sustainability. That’s why the historic 2.1km track in Long Beach has been selected for the sixth race of the season this weekend.
“Long Beach is a name with a great tradition in motorsport,” says ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport driver Lucas di Grassi, who is currently on 76 championship points and in second place behind Renault e.Dams driver Sébastien Buemi. “The fans can look forward to an exciting race.”
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