Mr Derron, in a nutshell: What can visitors expect on 22 June in Berne?
A sporting highlight in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, an exciting race and above all an event for the whole family, which is not only fun, but also sensitises and shows the high level of electric mobility we have reached today.
What distinguishes the Julius Baer Swiss E-Prix from an ordinary car race?
That it is anything but "just" a car race!
Why does the topic of sustainability play an important role for you, around the race and beyond?
A major event like the Julius Baer Swiss E-Prix can only be sustainable to a limited extent. But we do everything we can to ensure that we are as sustainable as possible. Going through life sustainably, but starts with each individual. And if we use the occasion to motivate people to think about how they go through life with what footprint, then we have achieved a goal.
How do you deal with the fact that an event of this magnitude also has a negative impact on the environment and local residents?
Of course. Where many people come together, experience something, consume something, there are burdens. We have learnt our lessons from the challenges we met during the planning and implementation of the first Swiss E-Prix in Switzerland. Accordingly, we can keep the burden on the population at the race track as low as possible. We build as little new cars as possible and we always build during the day. This is just one example. The efforts of the city and my team are enormous. We do everything we can to keep the loads as low as possible.
In 2018, myclimate calculated the emissions caused by the event for the first time. What insights did you gain from this?
I think one thing is important. Without a partner like myclimate, you can't set up a major event today. The very fact that we are, so to speak, "under observation" means that everyone in the team goes the extra mile and always thinks about it: If things go differently, they get even better. These are modest steps, but they are also important.
The Julius Baer Swiss E-Prix and myclimate
In 2018, the organisers of the Swiss E-Prix agreed a multi-year partnership with myclimate. At the premiere in Zurich, myclimate calculated the CO₂ emissions of the event as part of a comprehensive balance sheet. These were fully offset with high-quality myclimate carbon offset projects. myclimate is also an official sustainability partner in 2019, and the Julius Baer Swiss E-Prix 2019 will again receive the label "myclimate climate-neutral event" this year. In Berne, myclimate will be present at the Bahnhofsplatz with a giant installation on the individual CO₂ footprint and on the race day with a stand that makes sustainable mobility a tangible experience.
About Swiss E-Prix Operations AG and the Swiss E-Prix in Bern
Swiss E-Prix Operations AG is a young event company that was founded at the end of 2017 to bring Formula E to Switzerland. With the license of Formula E Ltd., Swiss E-Prix Operations AG is entitled to hold such a race in Switzerland every year. Following the successful premiere of the Swiss E-Prix in Zurich on 10 June 2018, 2019 will see its premiere in the national capital of Berne. The company is welded together by its shared conviction and enthusiasm for e-mobility and the further development of sustainable mobility. The company pursues the vision of bringing and promoting e-mobility and ecologically sustainable mobility to a broad population by means of a major event.
The ABB FIA Formula E Championship is the world's most prestigious competition for electric racing cars. The entire championship is one of the few sporting events to be held around the world. In the fifth season, 13 races are scheduled in 12 cities, including major cities such as Hong Kong, Mexico City, Rome, Paris and New York. In 2018, Formula E will be held in the Swiss capital of Bern on 22 June. The race is open to the public in the advertised fan zones and offers an attractive supporting programme throughout the day.