The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of world motor sport, Including Formula One, Formula E and Rally, has adopted Siemens Xcelerator as its “Official Sustainability PLM Software Supplier.”
The FIA will begin using the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio to enable the design of vehicles and development of regulations that reduce energy consumption and emissions.
"As innovation and sustainability are two of the most important guiding principles of the FIA, we are pleased to welcome Siemens as an official supplier and to adopt their sustainable software solutions across our work on Formula 1 and other motorsport activities," said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President, in a statement. "Innovative collaborations such as this underline our commitment to becoming net zero carbon by 2030."
In December 2020, the FIA officially adopted its environmental strategy outlining its ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. The strategy sets objectives for its organization, members, championships and network through in terms of climate action, technology and innovation and sustainable practices.
FIA’s strategy is based on eight sustainable development goals as defined in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Those goals are:
- Protecting water-related ecosystems
- Promoting clean energy technology
- Advocating access to sustainable transport
- Promoting efficient use of natural resources
- Reducing waste generation
- Taking urgent action to combat climate change
- Reducing marine pollution
- Reducing the degradation of natural habitat
- Enhancing global partnership for sustainable development
Siemens says it will support the FIA in achieving its sustainability goals through innovative thinking, pioneering approaches in motor sport and new technological advances that could be impactful across the automotive industry.
"Motorsport and sustainability sound like a contradiction. But it can be done using the right technologies. If motorsport achieves carbon neutrality, any industry can. With this collaboration, we plan to influence public perceptions and promote sustainable mobility," said Cedrik Neike, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Digital Industries.
FIA says it achieved carbon neutrality in 2021, obtaining the ISO14001:2015 certification in the same year. It did so by reducing carbon emissions and purchasing carbon credits to offset its remaining emissions.
This isn’t the first time FIA and Siemens worked together. In 2019 they collaborated to explore how autonomous vehicle pedestrian detection technology could be used to identify dangerous locations for rally race spectators. In 2020, Siemens helped FIA Member Clubs provide an evidence-based approach to advocate for the implementation of mobility policies.
"As innovation and sustainability are two of the most important guiding principles of the FIA, we are pleased to welcome Siemens as an official supplier and to adopt their sustainable software solutions across our work on Formula 1 and other motorsport activities," said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA President. "Innovative collaborations such as this underline our commitment to becoming net zero carbon by 2030."