British racing team Envision Racing and artist Liam Hopkins have unveiled an unusual project – a Formula E Gen3 drivable racing car built from old smartphones, laptops, vape sticks and other devices. The project aims to draw attention to the problem of electronic waste.
“Unfortunately today we are throwing away and replacing electronics instead of repairing and recycling it, leading to a global e-waste crisis,” the team says. “Through creativity, we want to show the problem of e-waste and its potential to create a circular economy.”
The model, called Recover-E, was created as part of the Waste to Race competition. It took 12 months to create a full-size replica of the racing car, it was presented on July 29 at the Hankook London E-Prix, the final race of season 9 of the ABB Formula E World Championships.
The controlled replica is the “stuffing” of a Formula E Gen3 racing electric car in a case made from used electronics. Macbook motherboards and parts were used to form the main body of the case, and the front fender was formed from old iPhones along with disposable vapes. Old tablets were used for the rear fender, there are also parts of game consoles and even an old tennis racket in the model.
This is not Envision Racing’s first eco-project. In 2021, the team joined forces with Kids Against Plastic and Glasgow City Council. Together they built a full-size model of a Formula E race car out of plastic waste.
