Envision Racing’s ground-breaking Recover E car was the star of the show on the world-renowned BBC show Blue Peter last week.
On Friday 6th October, Blue Peter host Abby Cook presented a special segment on Formula E and e-waste, with Envision’s Recover E project the focal point of the episode.
Abby joined Recover E designer and creator Liam Hopkins (known as ‘Lazerian’) at his studio to witness the completion of the car’s design, receiving help from Liam’s son Art as the final pieces were applied to the car.
Then, at the London E-Prix at the ExCeL Centre, Abby spoke to Envision Racing duo Alice Powell and Michelle Creighton about their experiences in the sport, as a driver and mechanic respectively.
The show was first broadcast on CBBC, with an additional showing on national channel BBC2 the following morning at 08:25am.
Fans can catch up on the episode on BBC iPlayer. They can also watch the segment here.
Envision Racing partnered with British artist and designer Hopkins to design and build the car entirely of donated electronic products by the UK tech business, Music Magpie and school children.
Through this campaign, the team wanted to increase awareness of the human impact of e-waste and the need to reuse and recycle old electrical products – all in a manner that would inspire children and young adults to think differently about the subject.
Hopkins said at the time: “Unfortunately today we choose to discard and replace electronics instead of repairing and recycling them leading to a global e-waste crisis. Through design and creativity, we want to show the issue of e-waste and its potential to accelerate the creation of a circular economy.”
The car was unveiled at London’s ExCeL Centre, on the eve of the London E-Prix – the final race of the 2022/23 Formula E season. It received international press and media attention, including features from the BBC, ITV, New Scientist and more.
In addition to being the all-time leading points scorer in Formula E, Envision Racing also has a leadership position for sustainability.
Alongside the car, Envision Racing launched the Recover E Waste to Race competition, to further engage young people and fans from all around the world. Children and young people were invited to create their own e-waste car, made out of recycled electronic materials.
Winners in three categories included 10 year olds Edie Griffin, Chidubem Ngene, Liam Mount, Nora Popoola and Olivia Ho from Abbott Community Primary School in Manchester, Monteor Popocatl Angelica Mirian, 14 years old from Mexico, and Hera May, 17 years old from the Philippines.