Last week we asked if Formula E racing could be coming to Vancouver in 2022.
In a 9-1 vote tonight, Vancouver City Council approved a partnership with Canadian promoter of the Formula E World Championship to bring the all-electric, open wheel vehicle race event to the city at no cost to the municipal government.
The 2022 Vancouver E-Prix already has the support of Formula E, which has been waiting for city council to make its final decision.
City councillors Sarah Kirby-Yung and Michael Wiebe brought forth a proposal to bring a Formula E World Championship series race to Vancouver next summer. According to their motion, the city has been approached by the One Stop Strategy Group (OSS) to stage the race weekend in July of next year in the False Creek area.
In addition to all the festivities that come with an all-electric, open wheel vehicle race, the weekend event would feature musical and cultural events, and a conference focusing on climate change and sustainability.
“The real driving force for me is around looking at COVID-19’s economic recovery, and the importance of having economic stimulus events, particularly for our hard-hit tourism sector,” said Kirby-Yung to the Vancouver Sun.
“And it is a net-zero (emission) event, certified by the UN. And it’s not just the race element in terms of demonstrating electrified transportation. And the idea of bringing that level of dialogue into the city with leading experts from the electrification space as we work towards sustainable transportation will have a lot of benefits for the city.”
Vancouver has been home to world-class racing in the past. The Molson Indy Vancouver was an annual Champ Car race held on a street circuit near BC Place and running past Science World in July, August or September from 1990 to 2004.
Since the 2020–21 season, Formula E is a FIA World Championship, making it the first single-seater racing series outside of Formula One to be given world championship status.
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