Can Auto Racing Go Green?
Very few things, beyond fleets of SUVs, cause environmentalists to get quite as upset as automobile racing. It is, even more so than hauling groceries to and from suburban malls to suburban homes, the symbol of wretched fossil fuel excess: A billion dollar industry dedicated to endorsements and advertisements on cars that do nothing but run at 180 miles per hour, get under 10 miles to the gallon and do nothing but drive in circles and turn left.
This may be about to change – or, at least get toned down. No, the green lobby hasn’t banned NASCAR…but NASCAR and the Le Mans Series have decided to market auto racing to greens. The trick is to add fuel economy in to the factors that determine the winner of the race. Michelin is sponsoring the Green Challenge 2009, with the event slated to kick off in October.
Make no bones about it, ‘green’ doesn’t mean ’slow’. It does emphasize fuel economy – these cars won’t be keeping the same lap speeds that NASCAR does – but it’s far from the image of drag racing Honda Fits that some pundits have given it. The way it works is that the finish time is scored on not just how long the car took to complete the race, and who finished first, but also has a weighted amount based on the fuel consumed, how much fuel was replaced with renewable fuels and greenhouse gasses emitted. Unlike NASCAR, Green Challenge Series races do not mandate engine performance levels; the hope is that by opening the competition on the design floor that spill over benefits can go from auto racing to street automobiles as well.
This presumption isn’t as far fetched as it might seem – a lot of the features we take for granted for better handling and performance in cars grew out of auto racing in the 1930s through 1960s, and some of the way that modern cars are more aerodynamic also comes from that as well – if you’ve ever wondered why cars stopped having square edges, it’s because of aerodynamics, which, as auto speed increases, overwhelms most other factors on performance and fuel economy.
It may even spark more innovation in the marketing of cars – or rather, spark a return to marketing of cars driven by how their racing counterparts performed. It wasn’t that long ago that NASCAR standings put noticeable boosts on car sales spreadsheets; Detroit and the Japanese auto makers are all watching this to see if the same trend can come into vogue again; it will help them considerably in marketing more fuel efficient cars if they can point out that Americans can have both high performance and sporty performance.
If the trend spreads – and enough people watch the races to keep advertisers interested in sponsoring them, they may drive American automotive innovation deep into the 21st century. So, if you’re interested in improving American automobiles, take the time to watch the race and boost its ratings – even if you’re an arugula munching Bostonian who’d never be caught dead wearing a NASCAR baseball cap.
Read more about Commercialization of Alternative Fuel Vehicles
