Hyderabad bids to host Formula E World Championship

Hyderabad: Hyderabad on Monday officially bid as a candidate to host the Formula E World Championship, meant exclusively for electric cars, scheduled to be held between November 2022 and March 2023.

Sixty cities across the world are bidding to host the championship.

The government has proposed to host the race on the 2.37-km track in and around the Secretariat complex and the NTR Marg which encompassing the Lumbini Park.

If Hyderabad wins the bid, the all-electric championship will be coming to to India for the first time.

A letter of intent (LoI) to this effect was signed by Arvind Kumar, special chief secretary, municipal administration and urban development, Greenko Group chief executive and managing director Anil Kumar Chalamasetty, and the Formula E chief championship officer Albert Longo in the presence of IT minister K.T. Rama Rao.

Formula E track overlay director Agus Zomeno and Mahindra Racing team principal Dilbagh Gill were present.

Speaking on the occasion, Rama Rao said the racing event would further enhance ‘Brand Hyderabad’ globally and help Telangana to position itself as an EV (electriv vehicles) hub of India.

"The concept of Formula E racing aptly suits the huge importance given by Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for the environment... We believe Hyderabad will be the natural choice to host this race," Rao said and noted that the state government had planted two billion saplings in seven years and green cover had increased by 632 sq km.

Rama Rao said that the government would host a three-day EV summit on the sidelines of Formula E racing, to promote EV policy of the government and attract investments into the sector

Albert Longo of Formula E appreciated the rapid response of the government in pitching Hyderabad as one of the strongest candidates to host the grand pix. “I have never seen such quick responses in taking decisions in the space of 29 days after the idea of the city being a candidate was mooted," he said.

"We are just announcing Hyderabad as a candidate city, but it is soon to be an official city in the calendar of Formula E. Let’s hope that that happens very soon and we can actually enjoy a race here in Hyderabad in the months to go.

Hopefully we will be here in the months of December 2022 and March of 2023," Longo said.