RE: DiCaprio's Formula E team
Tuesday 10th December 2013
Announcements of celebrity endorsements tend not to interest us here at PH, but news that Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has co-founded a racing team did edge onto our radar screen. Redolent, we thought, of the late Paul Newman running Porsche 911s at Sebring and Champ Cars in the 80s with Carl Haas.
Venturi's Gildo Pallanca Pastor with Formula E's Agag"The future of our planet depends on our ability to embrace fuel-efficient, clean-energy vehicles," said the Titanic star. "Venturi Grand Prix has shown tremendous foresight in their decision to create an environmentally friendly racing team, and I am happy to be part of this effort."
DiCaprio's Formula E team
Formula E gets final team with backing from tree-hugging Hollywood star
As it turns out, DiCaprio's new venture is a little different. The renowned Prius apologist - almost as famous for his environmental activism as his acting - is backing a team in the new FIA Formula E Championship for electric racing cars. Venturi Grand Prix will become the tenth and final team to sign up to the series, which gets underway in September 2014, joining British teams Virgin Racing and Drayson Racing.
Venturi's Gildo Pallanca Pastor with Formula E's Agag
Venturi Grand Prix will eventually become a constructor in its own right, building cars to Formula E regulations with powertrains that are derived from the 3,000hp motor that will, the team hopes, propel its VBB-3 land speed recordcar to 400mph.
Formula E will pit 10 teams, each running two cars, against one another on street circuits in cities including London, Beijing and Los Angeles. The series hopes to serve as a research and development platform for car manufacturers and to promote general interest in EVs.
"It's an honour and a pleasure to welcome the Venturi Grand Prix team as the 10th and final team of the FIA Formula E Championship," said series CEO Alejandro Agag. "I want to give a very special welcome to our championship to Leonardo DiCaprio. Very few environmental leaders have helped more than him to spread the message of sustainability around the world. Having people like him and Richard Branson - global ambassadors for the environment - is a privilege for out championship and will greatly help us to the spread the use of electric cars in cities around the planet."
Will we see DiCaprio on the pit wall with a set of headphones on and a couple of stopwatches around his neck? Will we hear him discuss the relative merits of a wide entry into Trafalgar Square versus a tight line? No, but his involvement with Venturi Grand Prix and the huge global interest that will inevitably generate should go some way to helping Formula E grow into a viable series rather than fade like a sinking ship.
Discussion
k.Perhaps I should look at the regulations before asking the following, but I'm going to ask anyway.
Are the tyres made from recycled nappies?
Is the bodywork constructed from old cardboard?
Are the electronics taken from my children's unwanted toys (anything they've had more than two hours)?
Do the cars and teams move to each circuit by being carried on the backs of hordes of fairies?
Are the tyres made from recycled nappies?
Is the bodywork constructed from old cardboard?
Are the electronics taken from my children's unwanted toys (anything they've had more than two hours)?
Do the cars and teams move to each circuit by being carried on the backs of hordes of fairies?
His agent's obviously from a marketing background.
Boo, this stinks of hidden agenda's and look at me goody two shoe's i'd almost hazard a guess that in the wake of Paul walker Di craprio is trying to garnish some look at me i'm a good boy.
To get me into EV's i'll wait until i see one backed by Shell, BP, Esso etc etc. What they wont? well then there's clearly a future in fossil fuels isn't there. These guys take us for idiots. (Can someone find an EV team backed by an oil giant?)
PH said: "rather than fade like a sinking ship", I see what you did there, shame on you.
Boo, this stinks of hidden agenda's and look at me goody two shoe's i'd almost hazard a guess that in the wake of Paul walker Di craprio is trying to garnish some look at me i'm a good boy.
To get me into EV's i'll wait until i see one backed by Shell, BP, Esso etc etc. What they wont? well then there's clearly a future in fossil fuels isn't there. These guys take us for idiots. (Can someone find an EV team backed by an oil giant?)
PH said: "rather than fade like a sinking ship", I see what you did there, shame on you.
Edited by Andy ap on Tuesday 10th December 09:21
Andy ap said:
His agent's obviously from a marketing background.
Boo, this stinks of hidden agenda's and look at me goody two shoe's i'd almost hazard a guess that in the wake of Paul walker Di craprio is trying to garnish some look at me i'm a good boy.
To get me into EV's i'll wait until i see one backed by Shell, BP, Esso etc etc. What they wont? well then there's clearly a future in fossil fuels isn't there. These guys take us for idiots. (Can someone find an EV team backed by an oil giant?)
PH said: "rather than fade like a sinking ship", I see what you did there, shame on you.
Agenda? He has walked this line for over a decade. He is a good boy as you put it. Raises 100's of millions for worthy causes. As for oil companies. They have suppressed progress in alternative fuels for a century. Boo, this stinks of hidden agenda's and look at me goody two shoe's i'd almost hazard a guess that in the wake of Paul walker Di craprio is trying to garnish some look at me i'm a good boy.
To get me into EV's i'll wait until i see one backed by Shell, BP, Esso etc etc. What they wont? well then there's clearly a future in fossil fuels isn't there. These guys take us for idiots. (Can someone find an EV team backed by an oil giant?)
PH said: "rather than fade like a sinking ship", I see what you did there, shame on you.
Edited by Andy ap on Tuesday 10th December 09:21
I love petrol gas guzzlers but my next car will most likely be a hybrid simply because i like technology coupled with the commute being boring as hell
Edited by burwoodman on Tuesday 10th December 09:48
burwoodman said:
Andy ap said:
His agent's obviously from a marketing background.
Boo, this stinks of hidden agenda's and look at me goody two shoe's i'd almost hazard a guess that in the wake of Paul walker Di craprio is trying to garnish some look at me i'm a good boy.
To get me into EV's i'll wait until i see one backed by Shell, BP, Esso etc etc. What they wont? well then there's clearly a future in fossil fuels isn't there. These guys take us for idiots. (Can someone find an EV team backed by an oil giant?)
PH said: "rather than fade like a sinking ship", I see what you did there, shame on you.
Agenda? He has walked this line for over a decade.Boo, this stinks of hidden agenda's and look at me goody two shoe's i'd almost hazard a guess that in the wake of Paul walker Di craprio is trying to garnish some look at me i'm a good boy.
To get me into EV's i'll wait until i see one backed by Shell, BP, Esso etc etc. What they wont? well then there's clearly a future in fossil fuels isn't there. These guys take us for idiots. (Can someone find an EV team backed by an oil giant?)
PH said: "rather than fade like a sinking ship", I see what you did there, shame on you.
Edited by Andy ap on Tuesday 10th December 09:21
Good on him I say, he strikes me as one of hollywood's good guys.
Cue sarcasm: Another sideline attempt to try and showcase just how great EV technology really is and to aid the process to educate and embrace the those fantastic untapped EV technological and green capabilities.
Meanwhile, back to reality: EV sales are well below expectations, the technology is expensive, immature and inflexible and the public doesn’t need another minor interest type specific race series to educate them regarding the great untapped EV future.
They have already embraced the huge disadvantages with EVs. That is now panning out with dismal EV residual values and a slow realisation battery technology is not set for a stepped change in capability and significantly lower costs.
Just look at the latest EV, the BMW i3 with it’s built in £10,000 battery change cost at the 8 year point. EVs with that built in short life expectancy and yet the unquestioning techno converts still just lap it up.
Meanwhile, back to reality: EV sales are well below expectations, the technology is expensive, immature and inflexible and the public doesn’t need another minor interest type specific race series to educate them regarding the great untapped EV future.
They have already embraced the huge disadvantages with EVs. That is now panning out with dismal EV residual values and a slow realisation battery technology is not set for a stepped change in capability and significantly lower costs.
Just look at the latest EV, the BMW i3 with it’s built in £10,000 battery change cost at the 8 year point. EVs with that built in short life expectancy and yet the unquestioning techno converts still just lap it up.
SuperVM said:
Perhaps I should look at the regulations before asking the following, but I'm going to ask anyway.
Are the tyres made from recycled nappies?
Is the bodywork constructed from old cardboard?
Are the electronics taken from my children's unwanted toys (anything they've had more than two hours)?
Do the cars and teams move to each circuit by being carried on the backs of hordes of fairies?
No, obviously not... It is supposed to be a R&D platform that will bring cleaner tech into the public consciousness. Also the concept that competition breeds better ideas will hopefully help the tech along as well, in an environment that doesn't have Type Approval regulations.Are the tyres made from recycled nappies?
Is the bodywork constructed from old cardboard?
Are the electronics taken from my children's unwanted toys (anything they've had more than two hours)?
Do the cars and teams move to each circuit by being carried on the backs of hordes of fairies?
As you have children, when walking along with them would you a) have them breathing fumes from exhausts b) not breathing fumes from exhausts?
Yes, I know the power has to come from somewhere, but when you can centralise a problem, it'll be easier to manage.
BoRED S2upid said:
Can't see many motorsport fans watching this, Id prefer to go and see some club racing than these humming around a track conserving volts.
I really do not think this series is designed for full fat motorsport fans, hence being held in cities, not desolate windswept airfields. It is for the masses, those that enjoyed the Olympics but will never go and watch a regional diving competition.Technomatt said:
Just look at the latest EV, the BMW i3 with it’s built in £10,000 battery change cost at the 8 year point. EVs with that built in short life expectancy and yet the unquestioning techno converts still just lap it up.
I rarely see a car older than 8 years old these days... *shrug*Edited by RemarkLima on Tuesday 10th December 10:32
Technomatt said:
Meanwhile, back to reality: EV sales are well below expectations, the technology is expensive, immature and inflexible and the public doesn’t need another minor interest type specific race series to educate them regarding the great untapped EV future.
People probably said about motor racing in the early days. Race series like this are often a good platform for technological development and innovation which can only be a good thing. RemarkLima said:
As you have children, when walking along with them would you a) have them breathing fumes from exhausts b) not breathing fumes from exhausts?
I'd rather they breathed the fumes but heard the vehicle's engine approaching! As even with EV's fumes will most certainly be made anyway, just not by the car. This incessant we must have brand new cars every three years is the problem. (As you rightly pointed out) We could still be environmentally responsible if we all kept our cars for a long time and manufacturers actually invested in making them last not stupidly quick and churning out new off-shoots every year. But of course manufacturers wouldn't make any money (they'd argue), they'd argue R&D is a waste of time (which it wouldn't be) and of course the government wouldn't gets its pocket lined with big taxes.
If you want to be an environmentalist drive a Jeep wrangler!
Edited by Andy ap on Tuesday 10th December 10:42
TheJimi said:
Exactly, from what I know of DiCaprio, this venture comes as nothing of a surprise to me.
Good on him I say, he strikes me as one of hollywood's good guys.
Not that much of leap from him investing in Fisker or Tesla which ever it was that he did a few years back though is it.Good on him I say, he strikes me as one of hollywood's good guys.
Good on him, who knows what might come out of a series like this in the future.
RemarkLima said:
Technomatt said:
Just look at the latest EV, the BMW i3 with it’s built in £10,000 battery change cost at the 8 year point. EVs with that built in short life expectancy and yet the unquestioning techno converts still just lap it up.
I rarely see a car older than 8 years old these days... *shrug*Edited by RemarkLima on Tuesday 10th December 10:32
An 8 year battery life kiss of death for an EV. The dismal residuals are there for a reason.
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