The 2022 World Cup will begin in a handful of weeks, and Qatar remains under the fire of criticism. But some brands have decided to come to the aid of this much criticized competition.
This is particularly the case of Hyundai, which intends to provide electric vehicles to help reduce the carbon footprint of the gathering.
An impossible goal?
Calls for a boycott of this 2022 World Cup are more and more numerous. Indeed, this 22e edition is already marred by several scandals. Starting with the inhuman working conditions inflicted on workers during the construction of stadiums. About 6,500 people died during the works. In addition, the event is singled out for its disastrous consequences on the environment.
This observation does not prevent the organizers and FIFA (the International Federation of Association Football) from aiming for carbon neutrality for the first time in the history of the competition. This assertion will no doubt be very difficult to materialize, given all the logistics put in place. Seven air-conditioned open-air stadiums, 160 daily flights provided by Qatar Airways with neighboring countries to move supporters and many other practices will lead to a catastrophic ecological balance sheet.
Vehicles to the rescue?
So, to significantly “improve” things, Hyundai has announced its intention to supply 236 electric and hybrid vehicles to Qatar during the World Cup. The automaker, which is sponsoring the event, will field several Hyundai IONIQ 5, Genesis G80 EV and Genesis GV70 EV. The fleet will be used to transport VIPs and staff members. In addition, the zero-emission Hyundai Elec City bus will serve as transport for the media on site.
Charging stations will also be put into service along the roads and in the car parks. How to turn the tide in terms of the carbon footprint? This is unlikely, since the official estimates which evoke 3.6 million tonnes of CO2 emitted during the gathering would be largely undervalued according to certain NGOs. This figure could even be multiplied by five!
In addition, Qatar intended to launch 2,000 aid projects for the development of renewable energies as compensation… Only three of them were validated at the beginning of October. Thus, the deployment of a few dozen electric vehicles (which are also not without impact on the climate) may not really help matters.
Source : Electrek
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