E-kart races rev engines in María Elena and Tocopilla

All the fun and adrenaline that come with speed took center stage at the Lito Contreras Stadium in María Elena and Plaza Condell in Tocopilla with the first E-Karts electric car race. Northern Chilean families came together to attend a free public event designed to promote the use of electromobility by promoting the sport as part of a fun summer offering.

The initiative came to the Antofagasta Region thanks to a partnership between SQM and the municipalities of María Elena and Tocopilla along with renowned Chilean Formula 1 driver Eliseo Salazar. Salazar, who has competed in the Indianapolis 500 and 24 Hours of Le Mans, has become known as the creator of Eliseo E-Karts, vehicles designed for kids that are currently touring the country.

The Chilean driver and leader of the initiative expressed his gratitude for the great turnout and highlighted SQM’s support for the initiative promoting the benefits of electromobility, which has its genesis in lithium batteries.

“Every electric car uses around eight kilograms of lithium, so imagine what will happen in 2035, when most countries, including Chile, prohibit combustion vehicles and only use millions of electric cars. We are 12 years from a historic shift, and SQM will be a key part of that. We also anticipate greater demand for copper, as these vehicles’ mechanical elements use five times as much copper as traditional cars. So the Antofagasta Region will benefit by becoming the capital of electromobility, which means there’s nothing better than coming to these emblematic sites. We will be sure to come back during the 2022 Eliseo E-Karting season,” Salazar explained.

Manuel Ossandón, Head of Community Relations for SQM, said that both events were successful, noting that,  “We have had an excellent response and have followed all of the guidelines implemented due to the pandemic, so we are very happy to have held this activity. Our company is one of the main producers of lithium, a key product in the development of electromobility. It is important for children to be part of this technology because they will be the main beneficiaries of this new form of driving. Community outreach is part of the goals of our robust Sustainability Plan, which seeks to help us achieve carbon neutrality.”

Tocopilla Mayor Ljubica Kutovic thanked SQM and Eliseo Salazar for giving the community the chance to enjoy this “electromobility festival.” “We are happy that you included us in your efforts to promote this new form of driving for our children because we don’t always have a chance to learn about the changes taking place or be close to these vehicles. It is great that you think of these young people because they’re the ones who will be able to drive these clean energy vehicles in a few years,” the municipal official explained.

Summer programming

During the meeting, which was full of adrenaline and fun, young drivers raced environmentally friendly electric cars on race tracks similar to those used by professionals. Organizers followed strict safety standards in order to ensure that the children could safely enjoy the experience as family members and friends cheered them on.

Both days were full of exciting moments, including an E-Kart raffle. One of the winners was Marco Antonio Vargas of María Elena. Both he and his mother expressed how surprised and happy they were to take home the highly sought-after prize. “I loved racing, and I am really happy to have won the car. I thought that that they would call 34 or 36 given my bad luck, but they called 35! I wanted to get there right on time, but it was actually the delay itself that led to me winning. I was really excited when I found out that all of this would happen,” the winner remarked.

His mother, Katty Aravena, thanked the event organizers and said, “We found out about the event an hour and a half before it started. I mentioned it to him, and he started to look into it. He saw that it had to do with the issue of energy, and said, ‘Let’s go!’ He wanted to be the first to go in, but we were late, and then lucky enough to take home this vehicle. We’re really happy. He started to learn what these new energies are all about right away. Thank you for bringing these new technologies to our municipality.”

The winner in Tocopilla was Nehuén Sánchez, who lives in Achocalla in La Paz, Bolivia. He was visiting family and attended the activity with them. Nehuén plans to share the prize with his cousins. His mother, Verónica Sánchez, said that she is very pleased, adding, “We came to visit family on vacation and discovered this activity. When we got here, I was thinking about the number 62, and that number was chosen, like magic. We’ll make the best of the time we have left here with the car. It has been a great experience. The kids get to learn about the car and circuits, and I learned a lot about the future of cars, which is really great.”