Skip to content

Vancouver one step closer to hosting Formula E electric car race

The 2022 Vancouver E-Prix would be part of a three-day event focused on climate and sustainability
25006892_web1_210421-BPD-FormulaEVancouver-WEB_2
The start/finish line at the Molson Indy in Vancouver on August 31, 2000. (CP/Kevin Frayer)

Vancouver is now one step closer to seeing Formula E electric cars race in False Creek next summer.

City councillors Sarah Kirby-Yung and Michael Wiebe proposed a zero-emission race, The 2022 Vancouver E-Prix, as part of a business conference focused on climate and sustainability.

Their motion was approved by a majority vote in council Wednesday (April 28).

Hosted by a Canadian promoter of the Formula E World Championship, OSS Group, the E-Prix is projected to generate 3,000 jobs and $80 million in revenue.

The conference will also see music concerts grace stages in False Creek – for which operators at tourism hubs including BC Place, Rogers Arena and Science World have already pledged support.

READ MORE: Array of COVID-safe ‘dance bubbles’ installed downtown Vancouver (VIDEO)

The approval comes nearly two decades after Vancouver saw its last Molson Indy held on the same very same grounds.

Much like the annual Champ Car race, viewing grandstands with a capacity for tens of thousands of people will be erected along the circuit.

OSS Group plans to cover the cost of hosting the E-Prix, as well as any traffic or management totals incurred by the city as a result.

The group will also install permanent electric vehicle charging stations for the public and provide transportation for at-risk youth to attend.

READ MORE: Dreamlike ‘Imagine Van Gogh’ art show lights up a Vancouver venue this spring/summer



sarah.grochowski@bpdigital.ca

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Want to support local journalism? Make a donation here.

25006892_web1_copy_210421-BPD-FormulaEVancouver-WEB_1
Canadian driver Paul Tracy pulls out of the pits during the morning session at the Molson Indy in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, July 26, 2003 (CP/Richard Lam)