OREANDA-NEWS. September 24, 2014. DHL, the world’s leading logistics provider, today announced the successful delivery of 41 electric racing cars and related equipment to Beijing for the FIA Formula E Championship. The delivery was made possible with the help of DHL’s industry leading logistics solutions and is an exciting step towards seeing the DHL-Formula E partnership come to fruition with the first championship race.

As a part of DHL’s commitment to sustainability, it has also launched the Formula E-inspired Blue Sky Transport Design Award – inviting professional and aspiring designers to submit creative ideas to shape the future of sustainable electric transport. This competition will have a prestigious judging panel to be chaired by world-class designer Paul Priestman and will also include experts from design, transport and Formula E. The winner will be presented at the final FIA Formula ePrix race in London, UK.

“With a commitment to provide sustainable and innovative solutions that deliver value for society, we at DHL are delighted to have this strategic partnership with Formula E,” said Ken Allen, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Express. “Formula E have created a sport that pushes the boundaries of technology and which will inspire and educate people throughout the world to embrace sustainable technologies and practices. As a company that has pioneered green transport initiatives, our partnership with Formula E is a perfect platform to showcase our green logistics solutions globally and also to test and develop the solutions of the future.”

“The FIA Formula E Championship is the first of its kind, and it is a massive undertaking – spanning nine cities in almost 10 months. With DHL providing reliable and carbon efficient logistics solutions in delivering the cars and equipment to the race locations, we are able to deliver on the commitment we have made to deliver a sustainable, first class entertainment event to the world,” said Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag.

“Drawing on our global leadership in sustainable transportation solutions and over 30 years of motorsports experience, DHL successfully delivered Formula E cars to Beijing and will continue to bring them to eight other cities around the world,” remarked Fathi Tlatli, President Global Automotive Sector, DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation (CSI). “We met this large scale logistics challenge in our stride and are most proud of our DHL Global Forwarding Motorsports Team for finding efficient, seamless solutions to the challenge of delivering the large lithium-ion batteries, in particular, which require special handling and certification.”

“One of our present challenges is the need to respond to the very real concerns surrounding environmental sustainability – and DHL-Sinotrans is already strongly committed to the environment, providing greener logistics solutions. Carbon-neutral, sustainable transportation solutions are undoubtedly the key to success in China,” said Wu Dongming, Managing Director of DHL-Sinotrans and Executive Vice President of DHL Express Asia Pacific. “We have already made significant progress in our green initiatives in China, with our latest carbon accounting showing an improvement in CO2 efficiency of 17% in 2013 compared with 2012. We are committed to ensuring further carbon efficiency improvements in the future.”

DHL was the first international logistics company to introduce a measurable target for CO2 efficiency and has committed, through its GoGreen program, to generate 30% less CO2 by 2020 (versus 2007 levels) for every letter and parcel sent, every container shipped and every square meter of warehouse space used. DHL has launched a verified carbon neutral express product, available in over 60 countries, and has created its own climate protection project in Lesotho, Africa.