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Eco Race Car as Fast as It Is Green

June 3, 2009 in Biodiesel, New Tech, racing by kristen | No comments

Last month, the WorldFirst race car hit the scene; one month later, the car hit the track and topped 130 mph. Though the car can run on the waste produced at a Cadbury chocolate processing plant in the U.K., it used a 30/70 mix of vegetable oil and conventional diesel fuel for its first run at the track, according to the New York Times.

The Formula 3-class car is based on a Lola chassis, but as much of the project as possible was converted to sustainable parts, such as a front spoiler made from potato starch and flax fiber, and a steering wheel derived from carrots.

Michelin Sponsors 2009 ALMS Green Challenge

March 27, 2009 in Biodiesel, Bioethanol, Hybrids, MPG, diesel, racing by kristen | 1 comment

E85 Corvette in 2008 Le Mans

The American Le Mans Series will revive its Green X Challenge Award with Michelin tires as the sponsor for 2009. The prototype and GT cars that acheives the best performance and fuel efficiency with the fewest emissions will win the award.

Lest you doubters think Michelin is jumping on the green bandwagon, they’ve been rewarding eco-friendly innovations for a while now. Eleven years ago, they created the Challenge Bibendum for clean vehicles, then in 2006 sponsored the Michelin Energy Endurance Challenge at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. In 2008, it extended the Energy Endurance Challenge to all European Le Mans-series races.

For its part, ALMS has been making the most inroads into green racing, with hybrid, biofuel, and clean diesels at the starting line. ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton has applauded President Barack Obama’s green auto initiatives, and sees the track as a proving ground for new consumer technologies.

Racing will probably never be as clean a sport as, say, competitive tree planting, but initiatives like the Michelin’s Green X Challenge can help sate our need for speed and our preference for breathing cleaner air.

Photo of the E85-powered Corvette at the last ALMS race of 2008 courtesy of American Le Mans.

NASCAR Goes Green with Hybrid Pace Car

November 19, 2008 in Biz News, Future Cars, Hybrids, MPG, racing by kristen | No comments

While the Americal Le Mans Series has already had a green race-within-a-race for alternative-fuel vehicles, NASCAR is taking baby steps toward eco-friendliness. The final race of the season on Sunday, November 16, had the series’ first-ever hybrid pace car, a 2010 Ford Fusion.

NASCAR isn’t going all tree-hugger on anybody, but it is trying to reduce its carbon footprint, according to a report on NASCAR.com. Organizers also hope the mere presence of a hybrid on the track will help crack the alternative-fuel ice with the sport’s fans, who tend to favor high horsepower and big trucks. But in a year of volatile gas prices and growing green awareness, even die-hard speed freaks can see the advantages in a higher-mpg vehicle.

The hybrid version of the Fusion, and its nearly identical twin the Mercury Sable, will be available to consumers in spring of next year. The official unveiling of the car will happen at the L.A. Auto Show, November 21-30.

Image courtesy of NASCAR.com.

“Green” Flag Drops October 4 at American Le Mans

September 27, 2008 in Uncategorized by kristen | No comments

Let this serve as your reminder to set the TiVo: The first-ever Green Challenge will take place at the Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta October 4. The American Le Mans Series has taken the lead for alternative fuels in professional racing, and it will showcase the strides that have been made in go-fast green cars at its race within a race.

I’ve blogged about the race before, so this is just a recap. Race teams running alternative fuels for the 2008 season include:

  • GT1 Class — Corvette Racing, E85
  • G2 Class — Aston Martin V8 Vantage, E85
  • LMP1 Class — Intersport Racing’s Lola, E85
  • P1 Class — Audi R10, clean diesel

Photo by Dave Hamster.

ALMS Green Challenge Race

August 7, 2008 in Bioethanol, MPG, diesel, racing by kristen | 1 comment

E85 CorvettesYou, Citizen Driver, are not the only one who cringes every time you fill the gas tank or feels  a pang of guilt when your car belches those nasty emissions out the tailpipe. The American Le Mans Series of racing professionals knows your pain. That’s why it’s instituting the Green Challenge at its signature event, the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, scheduled for October 4.

Three factors will be considered in naming a winner of this race-within-a-race:

  • Performance (of course — this is a race)
  • Fuel Efficiency
  • Environmental Impact

Cars will be ranked by the amount of energy they use, the greenhouse gases they emit, and the amount of gasoline they displace over the course of the race. Which boils down to going as far as they can, as fast as they can, with the least environmental impact.

ALMS has been taking steps all season to lessen the environmental impact of racing. GM, Audi, and others have introduced race cars running on alternative fuels like E85 and clean diesel. You can bet those teams will be vying for the Green Challenge title. Race fans and consumers are winners in this event, too, as technological innovations on the track often trickle down to cars on the showroom floor.

Even NASCAR is dipping a toe in the clean-and-green waters. Michigan International Speedway, which hosts two NASCAR events during the season, stepped up its recycling efforts this year. During the Lifelock 400 weekend in June alone, MIS collected 15.3 tons of aluminum, plastic, and cardboard. They’re even recycling construction materials from some recent upgrades to the facilities, and they’ve instituted an office recycling program.

Eco-friendlier fuels, recycling … What is auto racing coming to? Oh, right. Its senses.