EcoGP, officially the Eco Grand Prix, is a European 24-hour
car race for electric cars.
History
The green series was conceived in 2013 by the world record holder
Rafael de Mestre, holding several world records in driving with electric cars like th
fastest circumnavigation (2016)or the longest trip in a production EV (2024). In 2018, the world's first 24-hour race for electric cars started in the
Motorsport Arena Oschersleben
The Motorsport Arena Oschersleben is a long race track with a width of and elevation changes of . The circuit is located in Oschersleben, Börde, approximately from Magdeburg
Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, ...
in Germany.
The 24-hour race is won by the car that covers the greatest distance in 24 hours. The role model for the series was the
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...
. Drivers in the cup included
Jutta Kleinschmidt
Jutta Kleinschmidt (born 29 August 1962) is a German competitor of offroad automotive racing events. She is known for her numerous showings in the Paris Dakar Rally, and notably for having won the event in 2001, becoming the first woman driver ...
,
Volker Strycek
Volker Strycek (born 13 October 1957 in Essen) is a German racecar driver and automobile manager.
In 1984 he became the first Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft champion, driving a BMW 635 CSi, without winning a race. He did not win a DTM race ei ...
,
Michel von Tell
Michel von Tell (born October 8, 1980) is a Swiss journalist, consultant, artist and racing driver.
Life
Von Tell was a professional baseball player in the Swiss NLB league. Von Tell studied economics and was active in the financial investmen ...
and
Rafael de Mestre.
2018 it was the first 24-hour race in which electric production cars like
Tesla Model S
The Tesla Model S is a battery-electric, four-door full-size car produced by the American automaker Tesla since 2012. The automaker's second vehicle and longest-produced model, the Model S has both received mixed reviews from critics and a ...
,
Hyundai Ioniq
The Hyundai Ioniq () is a compact five-door liftback manufactured and marketed by Hyundai. The nameplate ''Ioniq'' is a portmanteau of ''ion'' and ''unique''. It is marketed as the first Hyundai automobile to be offered without a standard intern ...
,
BMW i3
The BMW i3 is an electric car that was manufactured by German marque BMW from 2013 to 2022. The i3 was BMW's first mass-produced zero-emissions vehicle, zero emissions vehicle and was launched as part of BMW's electric vehicle ''BMW i'' sub-bra ...
,
Renault ZOE
The Renault Zoe (stylized ZOE), known as Renault Zoe E-Tech Electric since 2021, is a five-door supermini electric car produced by the French manufacturer Renault. Renault originally unveiled, under the Zoe name, a number of different concept ...
,
Volkswagen e-Golf
The Volkswagen Golf (Mk7) is a C-segment car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen. It is the seventh generation in the Golf series and the successor to the Golf Mk6, and was introduced in Berlin on 4 September 2012, before ...
and others took part. Thirty cars and 98 drivers took part in the first 24-hour electric car race. In 2019 forty electric cars started in Oschersleben, an unbroken world record until today.
In the later years EVs from
Porsche
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...
,
Opel
Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Gr ...
,
Kia
Kia Corporation (, formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工業) and Kia Motors Corporation) is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second larges ...
and
Jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
joined the competition.
Prototypes
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...
can join the ecoGP in a separate category.
Among the racing tracks
Transilvania Motor Ring,
Nürburgring
The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
,
Hungaroring
The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtai ...
and
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is a 5.281 km (3.281 mi) motorsport circuit situated on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke. It has hosted the season-ending Formula One ...
in Abu Dhabi there have been are also street courses in
Zell am See
Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its Ski resort, ski resorts and shorel ...
,
Schauinsland
The Schauinsland (literally "look-into-the-country"; near Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany) is a mountain in the Black Forest with an elevation of above sea level. It is a popular destination for day trips. Due to the high amount of silver mining, ...
,
Rund um Schotten and the famous
Circuit des Platanes in the city center of Perpignan.
From 2013 until 2023 in total 982 drivers started at 28 ecoGP competitions all around the world.
The series has been a member of
DMSB
The German Motor Sport Federation ( or ''DMSB'', formerly known as or ''ONS'') is Germany's motor racing governing body. It represents Germany at FIA and FIM.
The , founded in 1972 by Herbert Linge as , is considered the first mobile track ma ...
(German Motor Sport Federation) since 2020.
See also
*
Electric motorsport
Electric motorsport is a category of motor sport that consists of the racing of electric powered vehicles for competition, either in all-electric series, or in open-series against vehicles with different powertrains. Very early in the history o ...
*
Extreme E
Extreme E was an FIA-sanctioned international off-road racing series that used spec silhouette electric SUVs to race in remote parts of the world, such as the Saudi Arabian desert or the Arctic. All racing locations were chosen to raise awaren ...
References
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eco Grand Prix
Electric motorsport