Green Racing Initiative


Program Announcement

What is the Goal of Green Racing? 

The goal of green racing is to use motor sport competition to help rapidly develop cleaner, more fuel efficient 

vehicle propulsion systems that will eventually be used 

in consumer vehicles. Technologies initially developed 

for green race cars can foster faster general introduction 

of automotive technologies that reduce greenhouse gases, 

reduce exhaust pollutants, and increase fuel economy. 

The high level of interest in motor sports could bring this 

technology to the attention of the public and hasten its 

acceptance in the new market. 

Why is Racing a Good Tool to Develop 

Green Technology? 

Historically, racing competition has been in a unique 

position to promote the kind of rapid vehicle 

technology innovation competitors need to keep 

winning. There is a historical precedent of racing 

resulting in innovations in safety, durability, performance, tire technology, and more. The speed at 

which technology development occurs in racing is 

usually much faster than in normal manufacturer 

product development. Racing also provides the ideal proving ground to demonstrate 

that technological improvements will be durable under the most demanding conditions. 

Race audiences represent a ready market that can help carry the technological 

innovations to street vehicles. There are millions of racing fans in the U.S. alone 

who make purchase decisions that are influenced by what they see on the race track. 

Manufacturers are already motivated by market pressures and regulation to bring 

about technological improvements, but motor sports inspire a much greater sense of 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

EPA420-F-08-031 

October 2008 
Program Announcement

urgency and imagination. There is extreme pressure to turn ideas into hardware for the next 

racing season. This is an opportunity to harness this motivation for environmental good, 

much the same as it has been used to develop vehicle safety technology. 

Many racing venues are already moving to go greener. Several racing series have also moved to 

using renewable fuels, such as ethanol. Their motivation is both social responsibility and a desire 

to make racing more relevant to everyday transportation issues in order to retain or increase the 

fan base. Much of racing today is oriented more toward entertainment than technical innovation. There is a movement to return racing to its roots of being a competition among vehicles 

that are relevant to street machines. 

Who is involved in Green Racing? 

The impetus behind Green Racing originated within the Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA), and developed into a joint effort that includes Argonne National Laboratories along 

with the Department of Energy (DOE), vehicle original equipment manufacturers, automotive 

suppliers, motor sports sanctioning bodies, motor sports associations, and racing vehicle developers. These parties were brought together by SAE International to form the Green Racing 

Working Group. The Green Racing Protocols, which will be published in 2008 as a SAE technical 

document, were developed by a small subgroup within the working group, including representatives from EPA and Argonne/DOE. The American Le Mans Series (ALMS), along with its 

sanctioning body, the International Motor Sports Association, were involved in the working 

group and will be the first racing series to implement green racing protocols by conducting the 

ALMS Green ChallengeTM competition at their Petit Le Mans race on October 4, 2008. 

How Does Green Racing Work? 

The Green Racing Protocols can be adapted for any racing series. The protocols promote the 

development of energy efficient technologies, and the reduction of greenhouse gases and auto 

emissions. They also encourage the use of renewable fuels and regenerative energy powertrains 

(hybrids). EPA, DOE and SAE International will also provide national awards and recognition to the auto companies that build the race cars that go the fastest using the least amount of 

energy and creating the fewest greenhouse gas emissions. 

Elements of Racing Protocols: 

The protocols are based on five elements: 

1. The use of a renewable fuel; 

2. The use of many different engines, fuels, and propulsion systems in one race; 

3. The use of regenerative energy powertrain technologies that recover and reuse braking 

energy; 

4. The use of energy allocations instead of detailed sporting regulations; and 

5. The use of exhaust pollution control strategies and systems. 

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The Challenge and Cup Awards: 

The protocols define two award levels of green racing. The first is the green racing “Challenge” 

level that is based on the first three elements. The second and highest level of green racing is 

the green racing “Cup” level, based on elements 1 through 5. The main differences are the Cup 

requires the use of energy allocations and some form of emission control. A shift away from detailed engine specifications to energy allocations (fuel restrictions) could fundamentally change 

racing. For the better part of the 100-plus years of motor racing, racing rules to foster competition, increase safety, and limit costs have been based on a combination of engine displacement 

and rigid engine specifications. The shift to energy allocations will help influence the development of more energy-efficient propulsion systems. The eventual use of emission control strategies in race cars to win the Cup will be unprecedented in major racing competition. Reducing 

air pollutant emissions from race cars will hopefully spur the development of more durable and 

effective emission control systems (such as catalytic converters) that could eventually be used in 

street cars. This will also reduce the pollution emitted at racing events, thereby improving local 

air quality during the events and protecting the well-being of fans. 

The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) Green ChallengeTM 

The American Le Mans Series will be the first racing series 

to incorporate the green racing Challenge elements 

identified in the green racing protocols that will be published by SAE International. The ALMS is partnering 

with EPA, DOE, and SAE International to conduct the 

first ALMS Green ChallengeTM race as a part of their 

Petit Le Mans race in Braselton, Georgia on October 4, 

2008. 

The ALMS conducts twelve road races per year throughout the United States and Canada. Each race features four classes of sports cars: including two 

Prototype classes and two GT classes that include multiple engine and fuel types. The Prototype 

class vehicles use production-based engines, but are exotic purpose-built race cars that may 

include advanced technology. The GT class vehicles are more production-based but are highly 

modified for racing. All of the race cars have direct links to production vehicles, and many are 

capable of speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour. In 2009, the American Le Mans Series will 

incorporate the Green Racing Protocols into a season-long Green ChallengeTM Championship. 

The award will be given to the team with the lowest Green Racing Challenge score in both the 

LMP and GT classes. ALMS is considering incorporating the Green Racing Cup levels as well. 

Technologies in the ALMS race cars include conventional gasoline engines, direct injection 

gasoline engines, diesel engines, and hybrid assist technology. Fuels used include gasoline with 

10% ethanol (E10), E85 ethanol made using cellulosic processes, and ultra-low sulfur diesel 

with a portion of synthetic diesel made from a gas-to-liquid process. More information about the 

American Le Mans Series can be found at: www.americanlemans.com. 

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At the end of the ALMS Petit Le Mans race EPA, DOE, and SAE will present two Green ChallengeTM 

awards. One of the awards will go to the Green ChallengeTM winner of the Prototype class, and 

one of the awards will go to the Green ChallengeTM winner of the GT class. The award determination is summarized as follows: 

Green Challenge Ranking System: 

The International Motor Sports Association, Argonne National Laboratory, and EPA developed 

the ranking system to be used in the ALMS Green ChallengeTM. Cars are ranked by the amount 

of energy they use, greenhouse gases they produce and fossil fuels they consume. These ranking factors are compiled into a single weighted number representing each car’s environmental 

performance. Race cars that use less energy and fossil fuels and produce fewer greenhouse gases 

(GHGs) get a higher score. All measurements are from well-to-wheel (life cycle analysis) using 

a model called GREET, which stands for Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use 

in Transportation. The GREET model calculates all the energy consumed and the GHGs created from 

the time the oil is pumped out of the ground, the corn seeded in the field or the wood waste is 

harvested to its use in the car. For more information see GREET. 

The realities of racing must also be factored in to make valid energy use comparisons among 

cars. These include speed, distance traveled and weight. Faster cars and heavier cars use more 

energy and produce more GHGs than comparable slower or lighter cars. Cars that go farther 

during a race also need more energy. Argonne and IMSA created normalizing factors for each 

variable so that they could accurately compare the environmental performance of each car in 

the race. These calculations were compared with previous races to check their validity. In some 

cases the cars that win the race will also get the highest score, but that will not always be the 

case. 

An ALMS press release about the ALMS Green ChallengeTM event can be found at: 

www.americanlemans.com/NEWS/Article.aspx?ID=4383.

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