Envision Virgin Racing has been getting involved in a lot of things before racing gets underway this year in the 2020-21 Formula E season. The latest of those new ventures is a multi-year strategic partnership it’s just formed with Johnson Matthey, a ‘global leader in sustainable technologies’.
The UK-based science and chemicals company is indexed on the FTSE 100 globally and has become known for its ‘advanced cathode material technology’. This is all part of a vision to create a more sustainable future, something which the company has been heavily involved with for some time now.
As part of the new partnership, Johnson Matthey will become a partner both of the Envision Virgin Racing Formula E team and of the team’s ‘Race Against Climate Change’ initiative, which is intended to raise awareness of the fight against climate change and accelerate the movement towards zero-emission vehicles. Johnson Matthey branding will feature on the team’s cars and the team’s official apparel once the season gets underway in Diryah, Saudi Arabia on February 26 2021.
The coolest part of the Johnson Matthey partnership isn’t any of that, though. As part of the agreement, Envision Virgin Racing and Johnson Matthey will be working together to develop an electric two-seater Formula E style racing car.
The car will be powered by Johnson Matthey’s nickel-rich eLNO® batteries, which are promised to have ‘superior energy density whilst sustaining excellent battery life’.
It will be developed at Envision Virgin Racing’s headquarters at Silverstone in the UK. There is very little information about this new car at present, although we should expect to see more to surface as the year goes on.
“Envision Group, Envision Virgin Racing and Johnson Matthey are all at the forefront of the EV revolution, so I am delighted to be collaborating with them,” said CEO of Envision Group and Executive Chairman of Envision AESC Lei Zhang. “As a global leader in sustainable technologies, JM’s vision aligns perfectly with the net zero values of Envision, and I look forward to working together to tackle climate change before it is too late.“
“Our vision is for a world that’s cleaner and healthier, today and for future generations, so we’re delighted to be working together with Envision Virgin Racing and its owners Envision Group as we both share an ambition to create a more sustainable future“, said Johnson Matthey’s CEO Robert MacLeod about the new partnership.
“We’re also excited about creating the first electric race car using eLNO® technology – which is a major milestone in its commercialisation – and to join the team’s ‘Race Against Climate Change’ initiative and its goals of inspiring generations to take action to protect the planet.“
