By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Forget Taylor Swift – it’s Inaugural Global Sustainability Week at the Prysmian Group in Highland Heights.
The North American event was highlighted Wednesday with a full-day of presentations from Prysmian business leaders, engineers, materials suppliers and distribution partners.
And on display – The Andretti race car.
Forget you, Taylor Swift.
Prysmian Group sponsors and provides power and data transmission cables for the Andretti team’s electrification goals.
In fact, The Group was the first cable manufacturer to be a major sponsor of a Formula E Team.
The EV solution built by Prysmian offer long-term durability to support the growing electrification of transportation around the U.S. and the world.
As for the Andretti Car:
• Model: Porsche 99x Electric
• Third Generation Formula E car: smaller and lighter than previous generation models, with 469 HP, and top speed of 200 mph
• 40% of energy used in the races comes from regenerative braking, reducing the need for charging pit stops
• Each car has 600 kilowatts of both regenerative and charging capacity
• Battery cells will be reused/recycled at their end of life
• Tires are made with natural rubber and recycled fiber, and will be recycled further after races.
“EV’s bring the world one step closer to zero-emissions mobility and that aligns with Prysmian’s sustainability mission,” Andrea Pirondini, CEO of Prysmian Group, North America, said.
Prysmian Group is a world leader in the design, manufacture and sales of wire and cable products through its Prysmian, Draka, and General Cable commercial brands, three of the most respected names in the industry.
With almost 140 years of experience and sales of over $11.91 billion, the Group operates through a global network of 106 manufacturing facilities, 25 R&D centers and about 29,000 employees in more than 50 countries and is strongly positioned in high-tech markets and offers the widest range of products, services, technologies and know-how.
As for the racing part of the Group, last weekend at the Portland E-Prix (June 24th) driver Jake Dennis finished in second-place, moving him up to the top of the Driver’s Championship standings.
Dennis drove the fastest lap in Formula E history – at an average of more than 166 kpn/103mph; winning lap was one minute, nine seconds.
Portland was the team’s fifth consecutive podium placement of the season, and the eighth podium overall.
And there’s more.
Prysmian Group also sponsors sailor and environmentalist Giancarlo Pedote, who will be competing in the Vendee Globe, a 27,000 mile around-the-world race on November 10th of this year.
The sponsorship certainly reflects Prysmian’s respect for nature and the power of its elements – wind and water.
Giancarlo’s racing vessel also features state-of-the-art sensors to gather data on climate impact, salinity, and biodiversity so the scientific community can better understand the power of the ocean.
The Prysmian Group is committed to ensuring a low-carbon future, and building partnerships through product innovation to achieve shared sustainability. The Group adheres to the UN Global Compact, the principles and spirit of which are reflected in culture, values and practices. They’ve also adopted science-based targets aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement.
Their North American headquarters in Highland Heights has EV charging stations with double-plugs and 80 AMP AC charging capability, allowing for up to 10 electric vehicles to charge at one time.
Prysmian Group North America became the largest cable manufacturer in the region, July, 2018 through the acquisition of General Cable, resulting in combined operations that include 27 manufacturing facilities, 14 distribution centers, four R&D centers, three sales offices, more than 5,400 and sales of $3.116 million.
The Group operates 38 facilities located in the United States and seven facilities in Canada, including the only co-located fiber and cable manufacturing facility in Claremont, North Carolina and North America’s first Vertical Continuous Vulcanization line in Abbeville, South Carolina.
“As we continue to see the shift towards electric vehicles as a promising mobility option, we are committed to contribute to the electric-vehicle infrastructure facilitating the energy transition and diversification for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Our EV products and solutions enable our customers and communities to meet today’s great challenges and aim to bring the world one step closer to zero emission mobility,” said Sarah Sector, VP of Industrial &OEM Sales at Prysmian Group North America.
Let’s see Taylor Swift do that.