Can India’s Formula-E bid drive a boom in EV adoption?

All ardent motorsport fans in India rejoiced when it was announced that the country would be hosting a Formula E race in Hyderabad as early as next year. The FIA, which is the governing body of Formula E races, has confirmed that Hyderabad will be hosting a Formula E E-Prix on February 11, 2023. This could potentially open up a new door for wider adoption of electric vehicles in India. In this article, we will explore the possibilities of the same and look into how and why Formula E could be the push that India needs to shift to an EV-dominant automobile market. 

Wasn’t it Formula 1?

Over the last few years, there has been a monumental shift in the outlook of motorsport governing bodies across the globe to ensure that their sport’s functioning is environmentally friendlier than it was. Formula 1, for example, has already started making changes. After the introduction of turbo-hybrid engines in its cars, shifting away from the V8 engines, the next goal for the sport is to get to net-zero emissions by the year 2030. The last time Formula 1 raced in India; the cars were running on the older V8 engines, which consumed much more fuel and had equally high emissions.
Formula E was launched with the vision of serving as a benchmark motorsport event, where cutting-edge automobile performance was put on display without causing much harm to the environment. And it has been successful in doing so too. The controlled use of tyres, deployment of street circuits for races, and the promotion of environmentally sustainable entertainment has garnered a lot of attention and praise. While there is a scope for improvement, overall, the impact has been commendable. 

Source: Formula E

The sport has also seen several drivers jump the boat from Formula 1 to Formula E over the years. There are others like Nico Rosberg. The 2016 FIA Formula 1 World Champion, who, despite having never raced in the series, has been a supporter and owns a stake in a couple of EV racing teams too!

What impact?

Over the years, Formula E has been the battleground for EV manufacturers all over the world to showcase cutting-edge technological developments with their car and engine designs. Indian car manufacturer Mahindra also has a team racing in the series under an Indian license in Formula E. The ecosystem here is like an inverted pyramid. There are a host of cutting-edge developments put to display in Formula E cars. Over time, these trickle down to the mass market EVs. At that stage, the fact that the feature was first showcased in a race car by the same car maker becomes a huge selling point.

Just like it is the case with MotoGP and other races that make owing a toned down variant of that vehicle ‘cool’, Formula E has made EVs ‘cool’ since its inaugural season. If a bike manufacturer wins a MotoGP rider’s or constructor’s title, their lineup of motorcycles globally gets a boost; in the same way, if a Formula E team wins a driver’s or a constructor’s title, then their sales are very likely to go up. Each win with a newer generation car provides further push to their agenda. 

In the Indian scenario

The Telangana government, which will be hosting the Formula E race in India, has launched several initiatives towards making a push for wider adoption of EVs in the state. The same is the case with governments in different states and at the central level. In the June edition of the magazine, we extensively covered the prospect of EV adoption in India. We weighed the pros can cons across articles, also highlighting the importance and need for EV adoption in the country. In one of those, we mentioned how increased R&D investments would help the growth of the EV industry in India. 

Well, the upcoming E-Prix could be a huge motivator for Indian manufacturers to step up their development game. Mahindra is already a participant in the racing series. Considering the eyeballs that they would get and the way they would milk this opportunity to market their offerings; it wouldn’t be surprising to see other makers jump onto the hype train and make improvements to their own strategies. Be it in terms of spreading awareness about EVs in India or getting better cars into their own showrooms. It will be the EV adoption that will likely see a boost. 

Impressive, isn’t it?

The other side of this conversation is the actual introduction of Indian audiences to high-performing EVs. Whenever a sporting event of this scale happens in a country, there is hype around it. It will be the same in India. And the fact that we would be seeing the fastest EVs doing circles on Indian roads would attract a lot of eyeballs. This would actually be the first time that Indians lay their eyes on high-performing EVs in person. Imagine the surge in demand for EVs that this could bring in.

Increased demand for electric vehicles would mean more investment from companies and governments to improve the EV infrastructure in India. This would be a huge leap toward the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in India. 

Change is visible

Months before India sees the Formula E cars hit the roads, change and development are already visible. Triton EV has already signed an MoU to set up an EV manufacturing plant in the state of Telangana, and as a part of the state’s efforts to promote EV adoption, a web portal has also been launched. While the developments in that particular state have grabbed eyeballs all over the country, there has been an observable change. That depicts a positive attitude which is needed for such a monumental shift in mindset. 

Source: Formula E

Getting out of fossil fuel-powered cars and getting into more sustainable and environmentally friendly electric vehicles is the need of the hour. So, it will be interesting to see the shift that takes place in the country after the race has taken place. Having a positive mindset is great, but results are what we need. Here’s to hoping we get the best! 

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Satvik Pandey

Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile