EU urges F1 to adopt green technology

In a report supported by the European Parliament about a competitive automotive regulatory framework, called CARS 21, the call is made for several changes in the automotive industry in relation to reducing CO2 emissions.

However, it also made a separate note discussing the impact that motorsport could have on helping increase the popularity of green technologies.

A statement detailing the findings of the report, which was adopted with 607 votes in favour, 76 against and 14 abstentions, made it clear that it wanted moves made to make F1 'greener'.

The statement said: "MEPs recognise the role motor sport can play in changing attitudes and customer behaviour towards environmentally friendly technology.

"The House therefore asks the FIA and others involved in Formula One to change their rules accordingly, so that environmentally friendly technologies like bio-fuels, four-cylinder engines or hybrid can be more easily applied."

Formula One teams are already due to adopt Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) from the start of the 2009 season, and teams agreed last weekend that after the forthcoming five-year engine freeze they wanted to move to cheaper and more environmentally friendly engines.

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen said at the launch of his team's new car on Monday that he was genuinely 'excited' about the introductions of KERS technology.

"KERS will be a big challenge for the power train engineers because they now have to deal not only with a combustion engine but a very complex system of combustion engine, electric generator, electric motors, storage unit and electronics and there is a lot of potential which we can exploit," he said.

"I am really excited about this project because it will enable F1 to really take the lead in terms of technology, future road car relevant technology. We have to understand that in only 14 months from now we will have something in the car, an electric powerplant, that is not available yet.

"The guys who deal with electric powertrain hybrid systems in our company are at our door already because they see in F1 we can do it at a much higher speed, and within the next month I think it will become a very exciting project."