Mono Mars is, I am told, a virtual influencer inspired by Mars exploration rovers. His quest to go to Mars has helped Mono Mars gain more than 115,000 followers, and Hankook Tire has now joined up with this Red Planet-obsessed robot to reach out to motorsports fans as part of its Formula E partnership.
Hankook Tire, new official technical partner and tyre supplier of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and title sponsor of the current season’s opening race, says it is “prepared and ready” for its engagement in the all-electric race series. The Hankook Mexico City E-Prix takes place on 14 January and is the first of eleven race weekends around the world this year that will host a total of 16 races.
Hankook will commence its role as the new official technical partner and tyre supplier of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2023. The manufacturer, which is taking over from the original tyre supplier to the championship, Michelin, will further underline its commitment to the series with title sponsorship of three rounds in 2023, including the season finale in London. Hankook has invested heavily in the marketing of its new line of tyres for electric vehicles in 2022, the iON series. The manufacturer will supply the iON Race to Formula E, having tested the tyre in Valencia in December.
The public launch of the new Hankook iON race will take place at the Essen Motor Show early next month, ahead of the tyre’s competitive debut at the Mexico City E-Prix on 14 January 2023. Hankook Tire is an exclusive technical partner and tyre supplier to Formula E and has developed a tyre specifically for the series that contains around 30 per cent sustainable materials.
At the end of September Hankook announced that, as of next season, it will be the exclusive technology partner and tyre supplier of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The announcement was made at an event in The Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Austria on 27 September, where Tyres & Accessories was present to witness Hankook being officially presented with the newly developed Hankook iON race tyres.
Michelin is parting ways with the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship following the 2021/22 season finale. With Hankook limbering up and ready to take over next year, the French tyre maker has looked back on its eight years with the championship, convinced that its work has “made a concrete contribution to the success enjoyed by Formula E today.”
The first Michelin tyre engineered to meet the specific handling and range requirements of electric sports cars will come to market from 1 April. Announcing the imminent launch of the Pilot Sport EV, Michelin shares that the tyre excels in a number of areas of key importance to drivers of electric performance vehicles – notably grip on wet and dry roads, resistance to wear, low rolling resistance and reduced noise.
The ABB FIA Formula E Championship has become the first sport to have a net zero carbon footprint since inception, investing in internationally certified projects in all race markets to offset emissions from six seasons of electric racing. Formula E’s announcement was made during the launch of Climate Week NYC 2020 and featured on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on 23rd September. Following the recommended approach set out by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Formula E has followed three key steps to achieve a net zero carbon footprint: effective measurement of carbon output, prioritising reducing its footprint and offsetting remaining unavoidable emissions.
Formula E, the all-electric street racing championship, provides an exciting and competitive platform for global car manufacturers and mobility providers to test and develop road-relevant technologies. The series aims to act as a catalyst to help refine the design of electric vehicles and improve the driving experience for everyday road car users all over the world. Commencing with double-header races in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in late November 2019, Season 6 of Formula E concludes following a pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a dramatic finale in Berlin held in a series of races over 6 days. DS Techeetah was successful in its retention of both the constructors’ and drivers’ titles on 9th August with two races still to take place on 12th and 13th August.
Michelin motorsport director Matthieu Bonardel has given his reaction to the announcement of a changing of the guard in the world’s premier battery-powered single-seater racing series. Despite Hankook’s move to replace Michelin as Formula E tyre supplier after the 2021/2022 season, the French manufacturer continues to believe that “sporting competition and sustainable mobility are inextricably linked.” Michelin was the tyre inaugural supplier to Formula E, which began in 2014/15, and has actively shaped the series as exclusive tyre partner ever since.
Hankook will supply tyres to Formula E as the series’ third generation tyre partner. The FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) confirmed Hankook after a tender process and FIA World Motor Sport Council approval. The world championship, which stages races in metropolitan areas around the globe, will run on “sustainably produced, particularly long-lasting and energy-saving Hankook tyres,” the manufacturer says. Tyres for Formula E have previously been supplied by Michelin, which was the series’ inaugural tyre partner.
As a replacement for suspended events during the COVID-19 pandemic, Formula E has launched its official eSports series on rFactor2 as a fundraiser. ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge, in support of UNICEF, staged its test round at the virtual Monaco ePrix circuit on 18 April 2020 at 15:30BST.
Ricardo is to begin manufacture of the latest range of transmission designs for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship 2020. This marks the start of the company’s fourth year of supporting customers in the world-leading all-electric street race competition.
Santiago, the capital city of Chile, welcomes the ABB FIA Formula E Championship this week where NIO is determined to make strong progress and challenge for points during round three of the Season 5 campaign.
ABB FIA Formula E Championship team NIO has announced Chinese driver Ma Qing Hua will continue as the squad’s official reserve driver for Season 5. The 30-year-old from Shanghai will again be an integral part of NIO throughout the current campaign, which began in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, 15 December 2018.
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