Award-winning actor and global environmentalist LEONARDO DICAPRIO will chair the Formula E’s newly-created Formula E Sustainability Committee. The body will focus on Formula E’s contributions to promoting the mass use of electric vehicles, focusing particularly on urban mobility. DiCaprio will be joined on the committee by the CEOs of the championship partners and shareholders, as well as Formula E CEO ALEJANDRO AGAG. DiCaprio spoke with Agag about his support for Formula E and his environmental activism.
Agag: Leonardo, you’ve been an active environmentalist throughout your career. Why?
DiCaprio: I was awakened to the severity of these issues in late 1990s when I met with then-Vice President Al Gore at the White House. He and I spoke for an hour about climate change and how it was, and is, the biggest challenge facing our society for the next millennium. Al Gore inspired me. I decided then and there, that I wanted to be part of protecting our planet by investing my time, energy, and voice to raise awareness of climate change and the many ways humanity is impacting our environment. In a nutshell -- I believe this is our moral duty.
Agag: What role can technology play to help us address our environmental challenges?
DiCaprio: Our planet offers limitless renewable energy sources. Technology has been the missing link for making this energy viable and competitive with fossil fuels, but today we are finally ready to make the transition to 100 percent clean, renewable energy. ... Projects like Formula E act like technological laboratories to accelerate innovation. For example, the battery duration of EVs will be increased thanks to the Championship. The trickling down of technological developments to consumer level and mass adoption will make a huge difference.
Agag: Why have you decided to support Formula E?
DiCaprio: I first heard about Formula E in New York over three years ago when it was just an idea. Since then, I have supported the championship and I’ve been amazed by how far it’s come in these first few years. Some were critics and believed Formula E would fail, and I think you and your team have done an incredible job proving those critics wrong and making your vision a reality. Formula E really can be a powerful tool to change people’s perception of electric cars.
Agag: You’re an electric car driver. What’s so different about EVs?
DiCaprio: The first the general public knew about my green credentials was my appearance at the Oscars at the wheel of a Toyota Prius. I’m constantly photographed when I leave my home -- so this is a creative way that I could showcase my commitment to being an environmentalist. ... The best thing about electric cars is the way they sound -- the way it drives and the ease. They’re also fast, easy to use and very cool. You just plug it in every night like you would your mobile phone. I’d love to have a go in a Formula E car. Maybe you’ll see me in a Formula E car soon! (Formula E).
