Hong Kong Telecommunications confirmed on Tuesday it would return as title sponsor of the Formula E Hong Kong ePrix in December, "despite the inaugural event losing tens of millions of dollars and being beset by teething problems," according to Noel Prentice of the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST. That cost was "brushed aside" as "irrelevant" by Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag last year and HKT "is more than happy to keep investing in the future -- and electric cars in Hong Kong." HKT Group Managing Dir Alex Arena said that it was always the organization's "intention" to continue as title sponsor but it wanted to see what "lessons had been absorbed" and what improvements had been made. Arena: "Last year was a bold experiment and everyone was feeling their way. We weren't sure about the timing. It was early October and to be frank it was a bit hot. We wanted to see what the new lineup would be." The introduction of the doubleheader -- racing on Saturday and Sunday -- along with the positioning of the event between the Hong Kong Golf Open (Nov. 23-26) and the Hong Kong Int'l Races (Dec. 6 and Dec. 10) made the event "even more appealing." Arena added, "I don't think anyone really knows how to track the cost benefit of this sort of sponsorship." Arena called electric cars "a smartphone on four wheels" because of the "clever innovation, technology and networking." He said, "I think a city like Hong Kong is going to be one of the first in the adoption of electric cars" (SCMP, 10/17).
