IndyCar will have a new sustainable fuel for 2023 having announced Shell as its new supplier.
Speedway has supplied the current 85%-ethanol fuel for the series since 2019 but long-term Penske partner Shell will now take over, and is set to introduce a new fuel that it claims will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% compared to “fossil-based-gasoline”.
“This race fuel development for IndyCar is a great example of how fuels technology is pivotal in helping decarbonise the sport,” said Dr. Selda Gunsel, president of Shell Global Solutions.
“Today’s development takes us one step closer to that goal.”
The second-generation ethanol fuel is “derived from sugarcane waste and other biofuels, to create a fuel that is 100% comprised of feedstocks categorised as ‘renewable’ under the applicable regulatory frameworks”, according to Shell.
“Motorsports has always been at the forefront of innovation and technology, and today IndyCar is furthering this tradition in a very important and transformational way,” said Mark Miles, president & CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp.
“We are proud to become a leader in sustainability and decarbonisation as we work towards becoming the first US motorsport series to run on renewable fuel.
“With industry leading organisations like Shell and Penske sharing the same ambition for a cleaner energy future, remarkable progress can be made.”
The IndyCar championship and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have revealed a number of sustainability initiatives in recent months, and today it also adds a carbon neutral motor oil for IndyCar, new EV charging points at IMS and the venue has promised to offset its operational carbon footprint for the entire Month of May.
Last month it was announced in partnership with Firestone, that Penske-provided electric trucks would ship the thousands of tyres used in the Month of May for the 500, and that a new tyre using rubber with a lower carbon footprint will be used in the Indy 500 pitstop competition and in an IndyCar race at Nashville later this year.
