Imagine a racecar built entirely of the old electronics we throw away every day. Formula E team Envision Racing created the world’s first racecar made up entirely of Electronic Waste (e-waste).

What is E-Waste?

E-waste is all of the electronic products that we use every day that are at the end of their lives. More electronic waste is being produced because of how often electronics are used and the short lifespan of products. For example, the average lifespan of a moderately priced laptop is three to five years. If not disposed of properly, it could do significant damage to our environment.

That is where Envision Racing steps in with its Recover-E initiative. The FE team is highlighting the issue of e-waste by recycling the used scraps to create a one-of-a-kind car— the Recover-E car.

Formula E racecar made entirely of E-Waste; Photo: Envision Racing

Envision Racing teamed up with British designer and artist Liam Hopkins to make this possible. “Through design and creativity, we want to show the issue of e-waste and its potential to accelerate the creation of a circular economy,” says Hopkins.

The Recover-E Car

It looks scrappy because of the recycled materials but don’t let looks fool you. With the help of Music Magpie, a U.K. tech company that buys and sells old electronics, the team gathered the recycled scraps. The final product is a full-size, drivable, Formula E Gen3 car made up of used electronics. It’s a vehicle that weighs 2,645 pounds and reaches speeds up to 174 mph.

Liam Hopkins (left) and Aidan Gallagher stand next to Recover-E car; Photo: Envision Racing

Various recycled electronic products make up the Recover-E racecar. The car is equipped with laptops, keyboards, mice, phones, vapes, batteries, and wires. Through this initiative, Envision Racing shows a creative way to reuse electronics, rather than throwing them away.

Old cellphones used in the front of Recover-E car; Photo: Envision Racing

Recover-E Campaign

Envision Racing’s ground-breaking initiative is the holder of the 2023 BASIS Sustainable Sport Awards Campaign of the Year award. The Recover-E campaign is part of a larger cause to raise awareness of e-waste. Recover-E aims to increase awareness of the human impact of e-waste. It targets the need to reuse and recycle old products electrical products.

It educates and encourages people to take a pledge against e-waste.

Envision Racing’s Managing Director and CTO Sylvain Filippi says, “We want to increase awareness of e-waste and help build a ‘circular economy’ where electrical products are reused or recycled, not thrown away.”