K-pop darling BTS teams up with Formula E electric cars to raise climate change awareness
In an electrifying announcement on December 18, Formula E has officially announced that the beloved K-pop boy band BTS will be their new global ambassadors.
Formula E, which is known as ABB FIA Formula E for sponsorship reasons, is a single-seater motorsport championship that uses only electric cars — it's a cleaner, better, future-friendly version of Formula 1.
It's certainly a good business decision, as BTS had more than 60 million listeners and three billion streams across 79 countries on Spotify in 2019 alone.
This new partnership offers an additional avenue to further the mission of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.
Through the partnership, the South Korean seven-member band and Formula E will team up to help promote the benefits of electric vehicles and the role they can play in effectively combating climate change.
The Bangtan Boys will play the role of official spokesmen and will use their worldwide profile and enormous social media presence to shine a light on social issues — such as addressing air pollution — and to help generate discussions about cleaner, more sustainable sources of energy.
“With air pollution presenting the single largest environmental risk to human health today and causing more deaths each year than smoking cigarettes (according to the World Health Organization), both Formula E and BTS hope to inspire the next generation and millions of young fans to embrace clean energy and become future drivers of electric vehicles,” Formula E said in a formal statement.
“We are delighted to announce BTS as a global ambassador of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship,” said Jamie Reigle, the CEO of Formula E.
“BTS has cultivated an engaged fan base that is highly passionate about social issues and we share a common desire to raise awareness of the threat of climate change," he said.
At last count, the South Korean heartthrobs had an army of over 90 million followers on their official social media accounts.
“In partnering with BTS,” Reigle continued, “we will amplify our purpose of accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles to a global youth audience. Leonardo DiCaprio, Diane Kruger, Orlando Bloom, and others have joined us at previous E-Prix races, and we look forward to working with BTS to continue to promote sustainability and the electric movement."
"We are extremely happy to collaborate with RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook to catalyze a move towards a cleaner future, faster,” Reigle added.
Following this news, South Korean national public broadcaster KBS announced that they will be airing the inaugural Formula E Championship race, which will be held in Seoul on Sunday, May 3, 2020.
With this new development, we can certainly expect to see an entire truckload of new fans on board for the upcoming Formula E Championship — and let's hope that truck is electric-powered!