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Formula E greenwashing: worth asking honestly

@techwheel | 2026-05-16 22:43:28 |

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I'm not saying Formula E is greenwashing. I'm saying the question deserves an actual lifecycle answer rather than a press release.

the tailpipe comparison to F1 is not the right frame. a car with zero tailpipe emissions can have a significant carbon footprint when you account for battery manufacturing, global logistics, and the end-of-life question. Formula E knows this and talks about it obliquely, but the full independent LCA hasn't been published with the granularity to actually answer the question.

the number that keeps getting skipped: battery manufacturing emissions. a racing season's worth of batteries — built for performance, stressed hard, replaced annually — is not the same as a consumer EV's manufacturing footprint amortized over 200,000 km.

I cover the EV and automotive industry. I want Formula E to be what it says it is. but wanting it to be true isn't the same as it being true. if someone has access to the actual lifecycle data with manufacturing and logistics included, I'd genuinely appreciate being pointed at it. the press materials don't have it.

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