When the ABB FIA Method E World Championship launched its first race by Beijing’s Olympic Park in 2014, the concept of all-electric motorsport nonetheless bordered on experimental. Batteries couldn’t but final a full race, and drivers needed to swap automobiles mid-competition. Simply over a decade later, Method E has advanced into a worldwide leisure model broadcast in 150 nations, driving each technological innovation and cultural change in sport.
“Gen4, that’s to come back subsequent yr,” says Dan Cherowbrier, Method E’s chief expertise and data officer. “You will notice a very fairly spectacular automotive that begins us to query whether or not EV is there. It’s really sooner—it’s really greater than conventional [internal combustion engines] ICE.”
That acceleration isn’t simply taking place on the observe. Method E’s digital transformation, powered by its partnership with Infosys, is redefining what it means to be a fan. “It’s a motion to make motor sport accessible and thrilling for the brand new era,” says principal technologist at Infosys, Rohit Agnihotri.
From real-time leaderboards and predictive instruments to personalised storylines that adapt to what particular person followers care most about—whether or not it’s a driver rivalry or battery efficiency—Method E and Infosys are utilizing AI-powered platforms to create fan experiences as dynamic because the races themselves. “Know-how isn’t just about assembly expectations; it’s elevating your complete fan expertise and making the game extra inclusive,” says Agnihotri.
AI can also be remodeling how the group itself operates. “Traditionally, we might be going across the firm, banging on everybody’s doorways and dragging them in direction of expertise, making them use methods, making them transfer issues to the cloud,” Cherowbrier notes. “What AI has performed is it’s turned that round on its head, and we now have folks turning up, banging on our door as a result of they wish to use this device, they wish to use that device.”
As audiences diversify and expectations evolve, Method E can also be a case research in sustainable innovation. Machine studying instruments now assist decide essentially the most carbon-optimal solution to ship batteries throughout continents, whereas distant broadcast manufacturing has sharply decreased journey emissions and democratized the corporate’s workforce. These advances present how digital intelligence can increase attain with out deepening carbon footprints.
For Cherowbrier, this convergence of sport, sustainability, and expertise is only the start. With its data-driven strategy to efficiency, expertise, and influence, Method E is providing a glimpse into how leisure, innovation, and environmental duty can transfer ahead in tandem.
“Our objective is obvious,” says Agnihotri. “Assist Method E be essentially the most digital and sustainable motor sport on the planet. The longer term is electrical, and with AI, it’s extra participating than ever.”
This episode of Enterprise Lab is produced in partnership with Infosys.
Full Transcript:
Megan Tatum: From MIT Know-how Evaluation, I’m Megan Tatum, and that is Enterprise Lab, the present that helps enterprise leaders make sense of recent applied sciences popping out of the lab, and into {the marketplace}.
The ABB FIA Method E World Championship, the world’s first all-electric racing sequence, made its debut within the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing in 2014. Slightly greater than 10 years later, it’s a worldwide leisure model with 10 groups, 20 drivers, and broadcasts in 150 nations. Know-how is central to how Method E is navigating that scale and to the way it’s delivering extra highly effective personalised experiences.
Two phrases for you: elevated fandom.
My friends at present are Rohit Agnihotri, principal technologist at Infosys, and Dan Cherowbrier, CTIO of Method E.
This episode is produced in partnership with Infosys.
Welcome, Rohit and Dan.
Dan Cherowbrier: Hello. Thanks for having us.
Megan: Dan, as I discussed there, the primary season of the ABB FIA Method E World Championship launched in 2014. Are you able to discuss us by how the primary all-electric motor sport has advanced within the final decade? How has it modified by way of its scale, the markets it operates in, and in addition, its audiences, after all?
Dan: When Method E launched again in 2014, there have been hardly any home EVs on the street. And doubtless for those who’re from London, those you bear in mind are the hybrid Priuses; that was what we knew of actually. And on the time, they had been unable to get a battery sufficiently big for a automotive to do a full race. So the primary era of automotive, the primary couple of seasons, the motive force needed to do a pit cease halfway by the race, get out of 1 automotive, and get in one other automotive, after which stick with it, which sounds nearly farcical now, but it surely’s what you needed to do then to drive innovation, is to do this with a purpose to go to the following stage.
Then in Gen2, that got here up 4 years later, that they had a battery sufficiently big to start out full races and begin to really make it a very good sport. Gen3, they’re going for some actual speeds and making it occur. Gen4, that’s to come back subsequent yr, you’ll see acceleration in step with Method One. I’ve been lucky sufficient to see a number of the testing. You will notice a very fairly spectacular automotive that begins us to query whether or not EV is there. It’s really sooner, it’s really greater than conventional ICE.
That’s the tech of the automotive. However then, for those who additionally take a look at the game and the way folks have come to it and the followers and the demographic of the followers, quite a bit has modified within the final 11 years. We had been out to enter season 12. Within the final 11 years, we’ve had a whole democratization of how folks entry content material and what folks need from content material. And as a brand new era of fan coming by. This new era of fan is youthful. They’re extra gender numerous. We have now a lot nearer to 50-50 illustration in our fan base. They usually need issues personalised, they usually’re very demanding about how they need it and the expertise they count on. Now not are you simply in a position to give them one race and all people watches the identical factor. We have to make issues for them. You see that form of change that’s come by within the final 11 years.
Megan: It’s an enormous quantity of change in simply over a decade, isn’t it? To navigate. And I’m wondering, Rohit, what was the strategic plan for Infosys when associating with Method E? What did Infosys see in partnering with such a younger sport?
Rohit: Yeah. That’s an excellent query, Megan. After we checked out Method E, we didn’t simply see a racing championship. We noticed the longer term. A sport, that’s electrical, sustainable, and digital first. That’s precisely the place Infosys needs to be, on the intersection of expertise, innovation, and goal. Our plan has three huge objectives. First, develop the fan base. Method E needs to succeed in 500 million followers by 2030. That’s not only a quantity. It’s a motion to make motor sport accessible and thrilling for the brand new era. To make that occur, we’re constructing an AI-powered platform that offers personalised content material to the followers, so that each fan feels related and valued. Think about a fan in Tokyo getting race insights tailor-made for his or her favourite driver, whereas one other in London will get a sustainability story that issues to him. That’s the extent of personalization we’re aiming for.
Second, bringing expertise innovation. We have now already launched the Stats Centre, which turns race knowledge into interactive tales. And shortly, Race Centre will take this to the following stage with actual time leaderboards to the race or tracks, overtakes, assault mode timelines, and even AI generated stay commentary. Followers is not going to simply watch, they’ll work together, predict podium finishes, and share their views globally. And third, helps sustainability. Method E is already net-zero, however now their objective is to chop carbon by 45% by 2030. We’ll be enabling that by AI-driven sustainability, knowledge administration, monitoring each watt of vitality, each logistics resolution. and modeling eventualities to make racing even greener. Partnering with a younger sport offers us an opportunity to form its digital future and present how expertise could make racing thrilling and accountable. For us, Method E isn’t just a sport, it’s a press release about the place the world is headed.
Megan: Incredible. 500 million followers, that’s an enormous quantity, isn’t it? And with extra scale typically comes a form of higher expectation. Dan, I do know you touched on this slightly in your first query, however what’s it that your followers now really need from their interactions? Are you able to discuss a bit extra about what experiences they’re in search of? And likewise, how advanced that actually is to ship that as effectively?
Dan: I believe a very telling factor in regards to the modern-day fan is I in all probability can’t inform you what they need from their experiences, as a result of it’s particular person and it’s distinctive for every of them.
Megan: In fact.
Dan: And it’s altering and it’s altering so quick. What any individual needs this month goes to be completely different from what they need in a few months’ time. And we’re having to be taught to adapt to that. My CTO title, we frequently put deal with the expertise in the course of it. That’s what the T is. Really, if you consider it, it’s continuous transformation officer. You might be always attempting to vary what you ship and the way you ship it. As a result of if followers come by, they discover new experiences, they discover that in different sports activities. Generally not in sports activities, they discover it exterior, after which they’re coming in, they usually count on that from you. So how can we make them extra a part of the game, extra personalised expertise, get to know the athletes and the personalities and the characters inside it? We’re a really expertise centric sport. Numerous motor sport is, however actually, folks wish to see folks, proper? And even when it’s expertise, they wish to see folks interacting with expertise, and it’s how do you get that out to point out folks.
Megan: Yeah, it’s no imply feat. Rohit, you’ve labored with manufacturers on delivering these form of fan experiences throughout completely different sports activities. Is motor sports activities maybe extra sophisticated than others, on condition that followers watch racing for various causes than only a win? They could possibly be targeted on staff dynamics, a selected driver, the best way the engine is constructed, and so forth and so forth. How does motor sports activities evaluate and the way necessary is it subsequently, that Method E has embraced expertise to handle expectations?
Rohit: Yeah, that’s an attention-grabbing level. Motor sports activities are positively extra advanced than different sports activities. Followers don’t simply care about who wins, they care about how some comply with staff methods, others love driver rivalries, and plenty of are fascinated by the automotive expertise. Method E provides one other layer, sustainability and electrical innovation. This makes personalization actually necessary. Followers need greater than outcomes. They need tales and insights. Method E understood this early and embraced expertise.
Take into consideration the info behind a single race, lap instances, vitality utilization, battery efficiency, assault mode activation, pit methods, it’s a variety of knowledge. Should you simply present the uncooked numbers, it’s overwhelming. However with Infosys Topaz, we flip that into easy and fascinating tales. Followers can see how a driver fought again from tenth place to complete on the rostrum, or how a staff managed vitality higher to achieve an edge. And for brand new followers, we’re including explainer movies and interactive instruments within the Race Middle, in order that they will find out about their sport simply. That is necessary as a result of Method E remains to be younger, and plenty of followers are discovering it for the primary time. Know-how isn’t just about assembly expectations; it’s elevating your complete fan expertise and making the game extra inclusive.
Megan: There’s an terrible lot happening there. What are a number of the different ways in which Method E has already put generative AI and different rising applied sciences to make use of? Dan, after we’ve spoken in regards to the demand for extra personalised experiences, for instance.
Dan: I see the implementation of AI for us in three areas. We have now AI throughout the sport. That’s in our DNA of the game. Now, every staff is utilizing that, however how can we use that as a championship as effectively? How can we make it a aggressive panorama? Now, we’ve got AI that’s within the fan-facing product. That’s what we’re working closely on Infosys with, however we even have it in our broadcast product. For example, you may need heard of an excellent slow-mo digicam. A brilliant slow-mo digicam is principally, by taking three cameras and having them in precisely the identical place so that you just get 3 times the body price, after which you are able to do a slow-motion shot from that. They usually was once actually costly. Fairly cumbersome cameras to place in. We are actually utilizing AI to take a standard digicam and interpolate between two frames to make it into an excellent sluggish picture, and also you wouldn’t actually know the distinction. Now, the enjoyment of that, it means each digicam can now be an excellent slow-mo digicam.
Megan: Wow.
Dan: In different methods, we use it slightly bit in our graphics merchandise, and we iterate and we use it for issues like exhibiting driver audio. When the motive force is talking to his engineer or her engineer within the storage, we present that textual content now on display. We do this utilizing AI. We use AI to pick the distinction between the motive force and one other driver and the staff engineer or the staff principal and present that in a very great way.
And we wouldn’t be capable of do this. We’re not sufficiently big to have a staff of 24 folks on stenographers typing. We have now to make use of AI to have the ability to do this. That’s what’s actually helped us develop. After which the final one is, how we use it in our enterprise. As a result of in the end, as we’ve acquired the followers, we’ve acquired the game, however we are also operating a enterprise and we’ve got to select up these racetracks and transfer them around the globe, and we’ve got all these workers who need to get locations. We have now insurance coverage who has to do all that form of stuff, and we use it closely in that space, notably in relation to what has a carbon influence for us.
So issues like our freight and our journey. And we’re utilizing the AI instruments to inform us, a battery for example, ought to we fly it? Ought to we ship it by sea freight? Ought to we ship it by row freight? Or ought to we simply have a lot of them? And that form of relies upon. Now, a battery, if it was heavy, you’d assume you in all probability wouldn’t fly it. However really, due to the supplies in it, due to the supply supplies that make it, we’re higher off flying it. We’ve used AI to work by all these completely different machinations of issues that will be too troublesome to do at pace for an individual.
Megan: Properly, appears like there’s some fascinating issues happening. I imply, after all, for a worldwide model, there’s additionally the problem of working in numerous markets. You talked about transferring all the things around the globe there. Every market with its personal authorized frameworks round knowledge privateness, AI. How has expertise additionally helped you navigate all of that, Dan?
Dan: The opposite actually attention-grabbing factor about AI is… I’ve labored in expertise management roles for a while now. And traditionally, we might be going across the firm, banging on everybody’s doorways and dragging them in direction of expertise, making them use methods, making them transfer issues to the cloud and issues like that. What AI has performed is it’s turned that round on its head, and we now have folks turning up, banging on our door as a result of they wish to use this device, they wish to use that device. And we’re attempting to accommodate all of that and it’s an excellent pleasure to see folks which might be so eager. AI is driving the tech adoption basically, which actually helps the enterprise.
Megan: Dan, because the world’s first all-electric motor sport sequence, sustainability is clearly an actual cornerstone of what Method E is trying to do. Are you able to share with us how expertise helps you to attain a few of your ambitions in relation to sustainability?
Dan: We’ve been the one sport with a licensed net-zero pathway, and we’ve got to remain that half. It’s a very core elementary a part of our DNA. I sit on our administration staff right here. There’s a sustainability VP that sits there as effectively, who checks and challenges all the things we do. She appears to be like on the knowledge facilities we use, why we use them, why we’ve made the selections we’ve made, to make it possible for we’re making all of them for the precise causes and the precise methods. We particularly embed expertise in a few methods. One is, we talked about slightly bit earlier, on our freight. Method E’s freight for the entire championship might be akin to 1 Method One staff, but it surely’s nonetheless by far, our largest contributor to our influence. So we glance about how we are able to make it possible for we’ve refined that to get the minimal quantity of air freight and sea freight, and use native wherever we are able to. That’s additionally a part of our pledge about investing within the communities that we race in.
The second then is about our workers journey. And we’ve performed a very huge piece of labor during the last 4 to 5 years, partly accelerated by the covid-19 period really, of doing distant working and distant TV manufacturing. Was once historically, you’ll fly 100 plus folks out to racetracks, after which they’d make the tv all on website in vans, after which they’d be satellite tv for pc distributed out of the venue. Now, what we do is we put in some web connections, twin and numerous web connections, and we stream each single digicam again.
Megan: Proper.
Dan: Which means on website, we solely want digicam operators. A few of them really, are remotely operated anyway, however we want digicam operators, after which some engineering groups to only maintain all the things operating. After which again in our house base, which is in London, within the UK, we’ve got our distant manufacturing heart the place we layer on route, graphics, audio, replay, staff radio, all of these bits that break the colour and make this system and add to that important physique of individuals. We do that every one remotely now. Actually attention-grabbing really, a bit. In order that’s the carbon sustainability story, however there’s a additional ESG piece that comes out of it and we haven’t actually accommodated after we went into it, is the variety in our workforce by doing that. We had been discovering that we had fairly a younger, equally numerous workforce till across the age of 30. After which as soon as that occurred, then we had been discovering we had been dropping girls, and that’s often because they didn’t wish to journey.
Megan: Proper.
Dan: And that’s the age of individuals beginning to have youngsters, and issues had been beginning to change. After which we had some males that had been touring as an alternative, they usually weren’t seeing their youngsters and it was form of dividing it unnecessarily. However by going distant, by having a lot of our folks in a position to remotely… Or even when they do need to journey, they’re not touring each single week. They’re now doing that one in three. They’re in a position to keep the careers and the roles they wish to do, while having a household life-style. And it additionally simply makes a greater product by having folks in that atmosphere.
Megan: That’s such an attention-grabbing perspective, isn’t it? It’s a means of environmental sustainability intersects with social sustainability. And Rohit, and your work are so attention-grabbing. And Rohit, are you able to share any of the ways in which Infosys has labored with Method E, by way of the position of expertise as we are saying, in furthering these ambitions round sustainability?
Rohit: Yeah. Infosys understands that sustainability is on the coronary heart of Method E, and it’s a giant a part of why this partnership issues. Method E is already net-zero licensed, however now, they’ve an formidable objective to chop carbon emissions by 45%. Infosys helps in two methods. First, we’ve got constructed AI-powered sustainability knowledge instruments that make carbon reporting correct and traceable. Each watt of vitality, each logistic resolution, each materials use will be tracked. Second, we use predictive analytics to mannequin eventualities, like how altering race logistics or battery expertise influence emissions so Method E could make smarter, greener choices. For us, it’s about turning sustainability from a report into an motion plan, and making Method E a worldwide chief in inexperienced motor sport.
Megan: And in April 2025, Method E working with Infosys launched its Stats Centre, which offers followers with interactive entry to the performances of their drivers and groups, key milestones and narratives. I do know you touched on this earlier than, however I’m wondering for those who may inform us a bit extra in regards to the design of that platform, Rohit, and the way it matches into Method E’s wider plans to personalize that fan expertise?
Rohit: Certain. The Stats Centre was a giant step ahead. Earlier than this, followers had entry to primary statistics on the web site and the cellular app, however nothing instructed the total story and we wished to vary that. Constructed on Infosys Topaz, the Stats Centre makes use of AI to show race knowledge into interactive tales. Followers can discover key stat playing cards that adapt to race timelines, and even chat with an AI companion to get on the spot solutions. It’s like having an individual race analyst at your fingertips. And we’re going additional. Subsequent yr, we’ll launch Race Centre. It’ll have stay knowledge boards, 2D observe maps exhibiting each driver’s place, overtakes and extra assault timelines, and AI-generated commentary. Followers can predict podium finishes, vote for the motive force of the race, and share their views on social media. Plus, we’re including video explainers for brand new followers, masking guidelines, methods, and automotive expertise. Our objective is straightforward: make each second thrilling and straightforward to grasp. Whether or not you’re a hardcore fan or somebody watching Method E for the primary time, you’ll really feel related and knowledgeable.
Megan: Incredible. Sounds good. And as you’ve defined, Dan, leveraging knowledge and AI can include these enormous advantages in relation to the depth of fan expertise which you could ship, however it will possibly additionally expose you to some challenges. How are you navigating these at Method E?
Dan: The AI era has introduced two important challenges to us. One is that conventional search engine optimisation, conventional SEO, goes out the window. Proper? You are actually how can we design and construct our methods and the way can we populate them with the precise content material and the precise knowledge, in order that the engines are choosing it up appropriately and displaying it? The way in which that the foundational fashions are constructed and the pace and the cadence of which they’re up to date, means very often… We’re a really fast-changing group. We’re a fast-changing product. Usually, the fashions don’t sustain. And that’s as a result of they’re a cut-off date once they had been educated. And that’s one thing that the massive organizations, the massive tech organizations will repair with time. However for now, what we’ve got to do is we’ve got to find out about how we are able to current our fan-facing, web-facing merchandise to point out that appropriately. That’s all about having actually correct first-party content material, successfully earned media. That’s the piece we have to do.
Then the second form of problem is unfortunately, while these instruments can be found to all of us, and we’re utilizing them successfully, so are one other a part of the expertise panorama, and that’s the cybersecurity principally they arrive with. Should you take a look at the pace of the cadence and severity of hacks which might be taking place now, it’s simply rising and rising and rising, and that’s as a result of they’ve entry to those instruments too. And we’re having to actually up our recreation and professionalize. And that’s actually laborious for an revolutionary group. You don’t wish to shut all the things down. You don’t wish to shield all the things an excessive amount of since you need folks to have the ability to attempt new issues. Proper? If I block all the things to solely issues that the IT staff had heard of, we’d by no means get something new in, and it’s about getting that stability proper.
Megan: Proper.
Dan: Rohit, you in all probability have related experiences?
Megan: How has Infosys labored with Method E to assist it navigate a few of that, Rohit?
Rohit: Yeah. Infosys has helped Method E deal with a number of the challenges in three key methods, simplify advanced race knowledge into participating fan expertise by platforms like Stats Centre, constructing a safe and scalable cloud knowledge spine for the real-time insights, and enabling sustainability objectives with AI-driven carbon monitoring and predictive analytics. This answer makes the game interactive, extra digital, and extra accountable.
Megan: Incredible. I questioned if we may shut with a little bit of a future ahead look. Are you able to share with us any improvements on the horizon at Method E that you’re actually enthusiastic about, Dan?
Dan: We have now talked about the Race Centre goes to launch within the subsequent couple of months, however the actually thrilling factor for me is we’ve acquired a tremendous season forward of us. It’s the final season of our Gen3 automotive, with 10 actually thrilling groups on the grid. We’re going at pace with our tech innovation roadmap and what our followers need. And we’re increase in direction of our Gen4 automotive, which can come out for season 13 in a yr’s time. That can get launched in 2026, and I believe it will likely be a recreation changer in how folks understand electrical motor sport and electrical automobiles basically.
Megan: It appears like there’s all types of thrilling issues happening. And Rohit too, what’s developing by way of this partnership that you’re actually trying ahead to sharing with everybody?
Rohit: Two issues stand out for me. First is the AI-powered fan knowledge platform that I’ve already spoken about. Second is the launch of Race Centre. It’s going to vary how followers expertise stay racing. And past last engagement, we’re serving to Method E lead in sustainability with AI instruments that mannequin carbon influence and optimize logistics. This implies each race will be smarter and greener. Our objective is obvious: assist Method E be essentially the most digital and sustainable motor sport on the planet. The longer term is electrical, and with AI, it’s extra participating than ever.
Megan: Incredible. Thanks a lot, each. That was Rohit Agnihotri, principal technologist at Infosys, and Dan Cherowbrier, CITO of Method E, whom I spoke with from Brighton, England.
That’s it for this episode of Enterprise Lab. I’m your host, Megan Tatum. I’m a contributing editor and host for Insights, the customized publishing division of MIT Know-how Evaluation. We had been based in 1899 on the Massachusetts Institute of Know-how, and you could find us in print, on the internet and at occasions annually around the globe. For extra details about us and the present, please take a look at our web site at technologyreview.com.
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