Nissan Formula E drivers visit Greenko’s Kurnool renewable energy project

Hyderabad: India’s first-ever Formula E-Prix that will be held in Hyderabad from 11 February along a scenic track overlooking Hussain Sagar will put the spotlight on the country and the city. The electric car revolution is building momentum around the world, and India is set to join this fast-growing movement with the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

The racing cars and drivers have already landed in the city. Soon after Nissan Formula E Team drivers Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz arrived in Hyderabad, they paid a visit to Greenko’s integrated renewable energy project (IREP) at Kurnool.

The drivers were welcomed to the facility by the company’s officials who spoke about the importance of decarbonising the sectors to reduce the world’s carbon emissions. They also highlighted the company’s commitment to providing renewable energy storage solutions to meet the growing energy needs of the country.

Norman and Sacha were then taken on a tour of the Greenko facility. They were amazed by the company’s impressive 7.3 GW portfolio that spans 15 different states. Sacha was particularly fascinated by the scale of Greenko’s ambitious project and all the work already carried out in order to build Greenko’s integrated renewable energy project at Kurnool.

When asked about the first-ever Formula E race in India at Hyderabad, Sacha Fenestraz, said, “I’m really excited about being in Hyderabad. None of the drivers have raced here before, so it levels the playing field a bit for me as a rookie. I’m improving and learning at every race, getting accustomed to energy and tire management. I was pleased with the points in Diriyah, the signs have been good since the beginning of the season so we’re hoping to keep progressing and find the consistency needed to succeed in this championship. We’ve been putting in the hours to be ready for the race, getting used to the track in the simulator, so hopefully, we can hit the ground running.”

Norman Nato expressed his excitement, “It’s always exciting to be in a new venue and discover a new track, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend. We made a lot of progress in Diriyah, Sacha did a great job scoring our first points of the season and now we need to build on that to fight towards the front of the field.”

He added, “It’s really tight between the teams this year, but we know where we have to improve. It’s going to be hot and humid, so it will be interesting to see how it impacts the GEN3 cars. Physically, it will be difficult due to the conditions, but we know what our targets are and it’s up to us to go there and achieve them.”

Both drivers are confident that this will be a successful Formula E race and the start of a new era of electric racing in India.

The 2023 Hyderabad E-Prix, accelerated by Greenko, is being hosted by Ace Nxt Gen in association with the Telangana government and Formula E. Hyderabad will host round 4 of the 16 races for the 9th season of the championship which will be organised between January and July 2023.