"It’s not a solution for today, it’s a solution for tomorrow": Dilbagh Gill on the role of energy-transition companies and Formula E

The most reputable global racing event this month will be the Formula E race, hosted in Hyderabad from February 11-13. Ace Nxt Gen has taken over the reins as the official promoter for the much-anticipated affair.

The company focuses on decarbonization, which will help build a better and more sustainable future. It was founded by Mr. Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty and Mr. Mahesh Kolli. Interestingly, the duo also founded Greenko India - a global leader in the category of Energy Transition and Decarbonization Solutions companies.

Mostly operating around the mobility sector, Ace Nxt Gen combines innovation and technology to enforce changes in the transitioning of energy across the world.

1️⃣ Day away from Net Zero

India is all set to witness the future at the #GreenkoHyderabadEPrix 💚

See you there 🤩

#Motorsport #racing #India #AceNxtGen #IndiaDrives #ABBFormulaE https://t.co/zUgvJUKvKu

There is a lot of awareness around renewable sources of energy and the environmental disadvantages that other variants perpetually carry with them. With this precedent being set, the role and work that firms like Ace Nxt Gen perform are of paramount importance.

CEO Dilbagh Gill sheds light on Ace Nxt Gen's role in Hyderabad's upcoming Formula E event

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Business of Sports, Mr. Dilbagh Gill, the CEO of Ace Nxt Gen, shared deep insights into the company’s affiliation with Formula E, the operations front, and the sustainability plans, among many other pertinent objectives. He also threw light on some activities that largely cover the efforts and intentions of the company:

“Ace Nxt Gen was essentially set up to locate newer technologies and newer solutions. Our focus was accelerating the development of electric mobility. In 2021, Ace Nxt Gen got together with the government of Telangana and decided to host the race in Hyderabad.”

Advancing further to give us a clearer understanding of how this partnership works, Mr. Gill said:

“Here, Ace Nxt Gen takes the role of promoter, ensuring that the race happens and overseeing all the contractual obligations with Formula E. While the government of Telangana supports the event requiring a street circuit, looking after permits and everything else that makes the entire process smooth.”

🇮🇳 IT’S HAPPENING! The Hyderabad E-Prix has been given the green light! Our first ever home race will take place on 11th February 2023.

More info coming soon!

@anandmahindra @KTRTRS @FIAFormulaE https://t.co/FZexYVvh32

It’s largely a tripartite agreement between Ace Nxt Gen, Formula E, and the government of Telangana. The deal between the three separate parties has pulled off a commendable job of putting all the pieces of the puzzle in place ahead of the Formula E event, which could have numerous commercial avenues in India.

Digging deeper into sustainability and reflecting on past adventures to orchestrate better experiences

Sustainable plans are one of the core goals residing in the minds of organizers of a particular event. When it comes to sports competitions, it comes down to the type of example they wish to set in terms of how responsible their actions will be towards a less polluted future. Mr. Dilbagh Gill provided some clarity along these lines for the Formula E event by saying:

“When talking about sustainability, it’s a pretty large word. So at Ace Nxt Gen, we focused on ensuring that the world’s first net carbon zero event happens here in Hyderabad So, all the energy that is coming for the event in terms of charging the cars and other requirements is coming from clean energy from the Greenko group.”

Talking about the benchmark that Formula E has set, Mr. Dilbagh elaborated more on this topic:

“On top of that, Formula E is already a net zero event so we have worked towards some of the best practices that we have learned over the past few years to ensure that everything is done thoughtfully and we leave the place better than what it was when had first come here.”

Building towards a Greener tomorrow 💚

India welcomes the first ever global sport to be certified with a net-zero carbon footprint since inception #ABBFormulaE ⚡️

Last few tickets left for the #GreenkoHyderabadEprix 🤩

#Motorsport #racing #India #AceNxtGen #indiadrives https://t.co/WNf4bvzJKJ

The Greenko group is one of the world’s largest renewable-energy organizations that is focusing on decarbonization. It comes across as a massive help for the three-day event in Hyderabad to have them closely monitoring all the energy source activities for the race.

Along with achieving the objective of making the affair more eco-friendly, it also shows that similar competitions can be held in the future on a large scale. Mr. Dilbagh Gill also mentioned how his previous experience as a professional racer and managing other operations served as an able reference point for the Hyderabad event:

“Events are a continuous process of learning. Having worked for many events throughout my life, including the FIFA World Cup, it’s easy for me to understand the concept of events. I was also a participant in the first 100 races of Formula E, so I have also been involved as a participant.”

Experience in various backgrounds always helps as it brings added expertise to the tasks at hand. Mr. Dilbagh further opened up about the same by mentioning:

“Combining both of these, working with the experience of Formula E and other industry leaders, it’s been quite easy to ensure that we put up a great event here in Hyderabad.”

Company operations, Government of Telangana’s role, and other learnings along the way

Providing a holistic understanding of the various factors and stakeholders involved in conducting such a prestigious sporting event, especially with maximum efficiency from the perspective of a promotional company, Mr. Dilbagh Gill shared:

“More than the company's operations, we look at it as a race happening in the city streets that are a part of the government of Telangana. They need to be closely involved and coordinated to ensure that we are able to have a smooth event. At the same time, making it a seamless event in such a way that the fans and people coming for the event aren’t facing any issues. Overall, it’s been an exercise in coordination.”

The Indian leg of Formula E has all the makings to be a show-stopper Image Via Getty

Stressing upon the importance of coordination as a critical component of building and planning for the marquee event, Mr. Dilbagh Gill was also asked whether there were any hindrances that they met on the road. To this, he replied by saying:

“As of now we’ve not had any challenges and roadblocks, it’s been an impressive coordination effort between the government of Telangana, Formula E, and Ace Nxt Gen. There have been many discoveries and surprises along the way, some positives, among other negatives as well.”

Upon undertaking prominent projects like the Formula E event, one frequently encounters relatively unknown developments. While it can be simply attributed to the fact that there are multiple stakeholders working together, it becomes crucial to incorporate these changes for the betterment of the entire plan. Mr. Dilbagh left no stone unturned in his detailed explanation:

“All of these learnings have been taken constructively with the understanding that we all have one single ambition - successfully delivering the event. More than 200 people are working on the project at various locations, and the coordination between them has been impeccable."

The strength of India is its people. The onus lies on the upper echelons of management to successfully bring many helping hands together under one umbrella and build a cohesive unit that performs in a highly effective manner. Once that happens, it is only natural to have revelations throughout the journey. And going by Mr. Gill's words, it has been a joyous ride so far.

Elaborating further on the role of leading energy transition and decarbonization solutions companies in the business world of sports, Mr. Dilbagh Gill stated:

“It's our part to do well through various different initiatives. We’ve decided sports can be one of those initiatives not only because it’s a catalyst for hope, but also because sports shows what can be done through technology and through human capability. I think that essentially comes out in Formula E because it’s not a solution for today, it’s a solution for tomorrow.”

Edging closer to Net Zero 😍

The streets of Hyderabad are raging to go green at the #GreenkoHyderabadEPrix 💚

Come out & see the action live, book tickets now 🙌

#Motorsport #racing #India #AceNxtGen #IndiaDrives #abbformulae https://t.co/Cq71lN2gFZ

Evaluating the current situation of motorsport fans in the Indian scenario and the subsequent efforts to make it as accessible as possible to the viewers, Mr. Dilbagh Gill mentioned:

“Looking at Formula E in the Indian scenario, there’s a huge untapped Motorsport fanbase in the country. I saw that during my tenure as the CEO at Mahindra Racing earlier. We ensured to have tickets for every price point- starting at INR 1000 to various different experiential levels.”

Understanding that India is a very price-sensitive market, reductions in prices are often followed by increased interest from the masses. Mr. Gill touched upon this point by saying:

“The idea was to ensure that anyone who wants to come to the event can afford to come out here as a fan of Formula E. We’ve seen that in the ticketing - it’s just been extremely successful.”

For the first time ever, we're heading to India!

IT'S RACE WEEK 🤩

🇮🇳 Greenko #HyderabadEPrix https://t.co/ZZjzElt5UI

Formula E – The flagbearer for promoting a green planet

Over the last few years, there have been increasing efforts to recognize the perils of consumer activity and its adverse effects on the planet. Many world leaders, prominent celebrity figures, and renowned sports personalities have advocated for the adoption of sustainable practices as the need of the hour.

Considering the fact that Formula E is an electric leader operating in motorsports, Mr. Dilbagh Gill concluded our interview by saying:

“Formula E is largely a mixture of performance, purpose, racing, and reason. So they are always talking about a better tomorrow. Overall, it’s part of the acceleration of electric mobility around the world and at the same time, ensuring that we produce very interesting and exciting electric racing.”

Who's ready to go green in India!? 🇮🇳

Your first look at the Hyderabad Street Circuit 👀

@GreenkoIndia #HyderabadEPrix https://t.co/YrtOUPDfPw

This shows the promise that Formula E's future has. To prolong what has been occurring throughout racing history by making tweaks along the way, especially those that allow a pristine future, is a very favorable position for the racing loyalists to be in.

If Formula E can gain popularity among the Indian masses without taking away any of the entertainment factors, there would be no better outcome for motorsport enthusiasts.