| The world is a place where greed and speed have | | | | One of the ideas that has manifested itself in |
| predominated, but recently even the gods of | | | | KERS, or kinetic energy recovery systems, is |
| pace have acknowledged that they either have to | | | | that of harnessing the energy lost during braking |
| embrace environmentally friendly options or | | | | by re-using it to boost acceleration. When you |
| become extinct like the dinosaurs of old. | | | | consider that racing cars have to brake from |
| ‘Earth Car' gets the Formula 1 ball rolling | | | | speeds of over 200mph to 50mph in 2.5 seconds, |
| Team Honda was the first of the Formula 1 | | | | then it is a given that an enormous amount of |
| teams who turned talk into tactics and two years | | | | energy is lost through braking and the consequent |
| ago they opted to make an environmentally | | | | heat loss associated with braking. |
| conscious statement by branding their cars not | | | | Energy allotments may be introduced |
| with corporate labels but an untarnished and | | | | Another idea that looks fit to materialise is that |
| uncorrupted map of planet earth. | | | | by 2011 each Formula 1 team would be given a |
| Granted, this small contribution to the burgeoning | | | | parcel of energy for each race on the Formula 1 |
| problem of carbon gas emissions didn't do | | | | calendar. This parcel would shrink year by year |
| anything practical, other than to constantly remind | | | | and the team that wins the race would be the |
| us of the failings of Formula 1 and FIA bosses to | | | | team that has utilised the energy the most |
| take this challenge to heart. | | | | efficiently and effectively. |
| The motorsport moguls have every intention of | | | | This would mean a major shift from a sport |
| becoming the high-tech pioneers and unequivocal | | | | where fuel consumption has always been the |
| leaders in the ongoing battle against climate | | | | major contributing factor, to a sport where the |
| change, one of the unpleasant facts of life that | | | | effective energy use of the racing car is |
| has the potential to destroy us all. | | | | paramount. |
| FIA President, Max Mosley, and company have | | | | Team Honda's battle to reduce their carbon |
| effectively outlawed any further development on | | | | footprint |
| petrol engines and have instead put their | | | | Team Honda have made a concerted effort to |
| formidable financial backing and expertise behind | | | | reduce their carbon footprint by |
| innovative and a more hybrid approach to the | | | | - introducing a recycling scheme at the Honda |
| development of increased power. | | | | plant |
| Biofuels a solution | | | | - providing incentives to their work force to cycle |
| Formula 1 can learn something from the United | | | | or walk to work |
| States where the Indy cars have been running on | | | | - using low energy light bulbs throughout and |
| ethanol for quite some time now and there is | | | | installing solar panels on the roofs of all the |
| plenty of discussion around the possibility of | | | | trackside motor homes |
| utilising biofuels instead of the dangerously low | | | | - holding video conferences instead of flying to |
| reserves of fossil fuels left in the world today. | | | | meetings |
| Formula 1 racing cars currently burn nearly a litre | | | | - turning off all lights and computers at night |
| of fossils fuels per kilometre, an equation that | | | | It is worth remembering that it's not only the |
| cannot possibly be sustained, even for another | | | | grandstanding gestures that make the difference |
| season. | | | | but a whole range of little ones too. |
| KERS could change the face of F1 forever | | | | |