Bosses of the Welsh track say that such cars are welcome on circuit at manufacturer-supported test days or – where relevant – at race events, when there is better infrastructure in place to deal with any fires and other safety concerns.
Anglesey has “never encouraged electric and hybrid vehicles on trackdays”, but general manager Annette Freeman said that a few have appeared recently, leading to the decision to implement a ban.
“We’ve always been an environmentally friendly circuit and welcome manufacturer testing of electric vehicles – we’ve had Mahindra come here – and that’s not an issue because they are fully supported,” she explained.
“They bring all the bells and whistles to deal with any issues and it’s much more controlled.
“When you get to race meetings, it’s a fully supported event, all the cars are under permit and it’s a controlled environment.
“For trackdays, you don’t have that level of scrutineering. We’re seeing so many EVs on the road but, driving one on the track, the pressures and stresses on the car are very different to the road.
“It’s not that we are anti-electric or anti-new technology, but you have to be prepared for it.”
Freeman said the fundamental concern is knowing how to respond to a problem with a specific type of car since the procedures can vary from brand to brand.
“With electric and hybrid cars, we have no real way of telling what issues are going to come through,” she added.
“As a circuit, we don’t have the equipment or training at the moment to deal with that situation.
“I don’t want to put participants, marshals and medics where they can’t respond to an incident.”
Freeman stressed the circuit is continually reviewing its safety policies and its ability to respond to any incident.
But, in terms of electric vehicles, she added there are also no charging points at the track and that the nearest fire station to Anglesey being 20 minutes from the circuit is another concern.
