As we seemingly accelerate towards a world without the combustion engine - where does that leave motorsport? In particular, in and around the pinnacle of tech and performance that is Formula One. I compare and contrast F1 and Formula E with those truly in the know.

My opening question is to Hywel Thomas  -
Managing Director, Mercedes AMG HPP
'It's 2031 - can I still go and watch a Formula 1 race - and will Lewis Hamilton still be racing?

We then hear from:-
Mark Preston - Team Principal, Techeetah Formula E Racing Team
Pierre Godof - Chief Engineer, Formula E Powertrain Mercedes Benz HPP
Ian James - Team Principal, Mercedes EQ Formula E Team
Geoffrey Willis Willis - Director of Commercial Engineering, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team
Paddy Lowe - Co-Founder & Director, Zero Petroleum

Filmed as a documentary - it's available to all on YouTube
https://youtu.be/5cqcv3Gswzo

Here's the thing...when it comes to the electric vehicle proposition - it's NOT all about the battery! What it IS all about of course when you come to think of it - is CHARGING! 

Ubiquitous, reliable, and easy to use charging will be the game changing part of the rEVolution because that will be easier to scale and sustain than ever more ever bigger batteries. Think of it as a 1st principle thing...EV's are powered by electrons NOT batteries as such.

My guest on Show 7, Timo Sillober,  is cleverly coupling his knowledge and experience of mobile telephony's roadmap thus far, to that of the electric vehicle ambition. 

No wonder so much of the world's great art emanates from Italy...when the country and so many of its people simply ooze style and grace.  As to design - just where to start!

How about the very latest electric hypercar to bring joy to anyone lucky enough to encounter Gianfranco's dream come true. 

And there's something VERY cool if you're following the rapidly charging battery story closely.

A Solid State proposition to energise Mr Pizzuto's power house.     

Jack is an American inventor. Innovator in Residence at Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation at UC Berkeley. Oculus VR Co-Founder and former Chief Engineer. Now active in automotive technology, building cars at his private R&D facility and hardware incubator in Livermore, CA.

We discussed start-ups, coding, and electric vehicles - whilst Jack's Team were busy in the background as we went through all of that. 

A few of my earlier podcast guests 'enter' the conversation as much of where we all are with the challenges of the day and how science and technology intersect get discussed. 

I learned a lot from Jack in this chat and I'm sure you will too!

Malcolm has never been a man in the middle of things!...he's a BIG fan of extremes!

He's been on an amazing journey in and around the automotive industry for decades - lots of decades! He's encountered many of the industry's game changers and he shares some of those moments with us here...Musk, Bertone, Pinninfarina, Iacocca

And he's still at it! The Bricklin 3 is something you might like to take a look at...it's electric and it might just be another magic moment in this amazing man's life story 

A 45 minute flight -plan...

Val Miftakhov's a man of many talents. Electric Entrepreneur, Physicist, Pilot (both fixed wing and helicopters) - and, back in the day, comparing notes with Mate Rimac as they both converted BMW's from ICE to NICE.  

You'll get the gist of what ZeroAvia are up too in this catch-up conversation I had with with Val in London recently. He's a man on a mission to end emissions - and he's flying high!      

I love Formula 1

I love the people, passion, spectacle, heritage, thrills and spills...but most of all, I love the pinnacle of progress in engineering that sits at its core.

Here's some evidence of how they think, firstly, in a conversation with motorsport maestro Mr Paddy Lowe. The crew and I listened in awe to his postulation of PETROLEUM WITHOUT FOSSILS.

This chat will soon be followed by 'Motorsport In The Electric Age' in which I talk with winners from Formula E AND Formula 1.  We discuss how we might sustain EVerything we cherish - through the application of science and technology, hard graft, and extraordinary teamwork.

So sit back in a comfy chair, spend 30 minutes in the company of yours truly and a man on a mission to end emissions.

Shai Agassi. An EV trail blazer, energy disruptor, charismatic presenter of ideas and opportunities...and someone I'm very proud to call a friend. These days he's a young entrepreneurs dream mentor, having ridden the roller coaster in spectacular fashion, so we talk a bit about that. 

Inevitably we talk a bit about what battery swap was - almost one and a half decades ago - and what it's return looks like today.      

He also talks about the code recently installed in many of us...