Formula E founder Agag’s latest gig is electric powerboat racing

LONDON — Method E and Serious E founder Alejandro Agag released the world’s initial electric powerboat racing championship on Friday, presenting E1 as a excellent suit for his other electric series.

The series aims for a 2022 debut and options one-pilot RaceBird boats with hydrofoil technological innovation and in a position to race at speeds of up to sixty knots — equal to 111 kph or 69 mph — on seas and lakes.

The platform is getting produced with SailGP, a superior-tech sailing series run by five-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts, who will be a technological innovation and technical partner.

Agag instructed Reuters ahead of a presentation at the Monaco Yacht Club that the time was correct for a series marketing electric boats.

“If there is not a current market, we will create a current market for this since it is something that is vital,” claimed the Spaniard, who will be non-executive chairman with former F1 engineer Rodi Basso as chief executive.

“To electrify (transportation on) the sea or the lakes or the rivers I consider is vital since it’s a natural move in combating pollution in the h2o, which is a definitely serious issue.

“At the conclusion of the day there is a current market, since there is a large current market against local weather transform.”

Method E is a metropolis-based mostly all-electric series that is about to commence its seventh season and has FIA planet championship status.

Serious E debuts future yr, highlighting the results of local weather transform by racing in remote and severe environments which includes the Brazilian rain forest and Greenland. 6 instances Method One particular planet champion Lewis Hamilton is getting into a staff.

The series makes use of a refurbished former mail ship as a floating paddock and that would also house the powerboats at races outdoors Europe.

“We have a one of a kind prospect to be a hybrid just about, if you like, with Serious E and Method E,” claimed Agag of the E1 powerboat series which will have up to twelve teams and be sanctioned by the sport’s governing UIM.

He claimed the powerboats could race alongside Serious E in spots this kind of as Greenland or the Amazon but also in towns like Geneva or London devoid of owning to create any infrastructure.

Agag claimed Method E had generally desired to race in Tokyo but confronted far too quite a few city difficulties. An electric powerboat race in the Bay of Tokyo would defeat that.

“I consider this is heading to blend the ideal of the two. We are heading to be in towns close to the planet and we are heading to be in pretty remote spots highlighting local weather transform,” he claimed.

Basso, a former motorsport director at McLaren Utilized Technologies and a keen sailor, instructed Reuters E1 would be a pure electric series impressed by sailing.

“The ideal minute when you are on a sailing boat is when you change off the engine and you go only with the sails since there is the silence and immersion with mother nature,” he claimed.

Basso claimed the goal was to exam the boat in Greenland at the conclusion of August future yr.

New Zealander Coutts saw common ground between electric powerboating and sailing.

“We are powered by mother nature, and SailGP and E1 share the innate desire and feeling of purpose to be leading innovators of sustainable technological innovation,” he claimed in a assertion.