Formula E racing series launchedOpen Wheel 

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Sam48
Am I the only one who thought the acronym "Power" would be fitting for this series?
"Power" standing for Professional Open Wheel Electric Racing.
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Formula E rhymes with Formula 3, but will be much slower. :yuck: Therefore, I think you've thought of a better name.



As for switching cars mid-way through a race, is this under a caution period or such, or is it possible to make up time on the track while switching cars? I believe every driver should have his/her seatbelt/restraint system in place before putting the car in motion, except that this will be considered "too time consuming" to be put into practice. For the safety of the series, I dislike this idea.
 
Maybe the organizers of Formula E could work with Tesla to provide quick swap battery pack changes during pitstops rather than charging them.

Just my 2 cents.
 
AudiMan2011
Maybe the organizers of Formula E could work with Tesla to provide quick swap battery pack changes during pitstops rather than charging them.

Just my 2 cents.
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A battery swap would indeed be the best idea. They could easily pack the car with enough batteries to last a 60-90 minute race duration, but it would make the car heavier than if they had a switchable, smaller power pack. I'm not sure about the technical limitations of that though. It's quite an obvious solution, i'd be surprised if they hadn't thought of it already and simply ruled it out for technical reasons.
 
MrMelancholy15
As for switching cars mid-way through a race, is this under a caution period or such, or is it possible to make up time on the track while switching cars? I believe every driver should have his/her seatbelt/restraint system in place before putting the car in motion, except that this will be considered "too time consuming" to be put into practice. For the safety of the series, I dislike this idea.
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Seems a bit drawn out.

After a FP session and a qualifying session in the early morning, in the late morning they will do a qualifying lap time in both cars A and B.

And after a 2hr break to recharge the cars, in the evening their will be one 45min race with 3 stints and 2 pit stops which will see the driver change car when the battery of Car A runs out. The driver will have to run 100 meters to climb into the recharged car (Car B).

Bizarre to say the least.

In regard to the much discussed noise level the cars have been set at 80db. An ordinary car is 70db and a bus is 90db. But a F1 track is 130db.
 
Formula E Renault Revealed

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Sam48
What interests me the most are the Michelin tires. Perrelli's replacement for 2014?
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Quite likely considering the larger rim size also given which is 18", the same as an LMP1 rim incidentally.
 
If you really want some insight on electric racing, I would suggest you check out the documentary called Charged. Its mainly about TTXGP, but really give an insight into future of electric racing...
 
It's been a while since anyone posted in here, and after the FIA's anoucement about "double points", my F1 interest is at an all time low. So here's a little update on what is going on in the FIA's new "Green" series, set to begin September 2014.



News:

All events will be held over 1 day, and will include a 1-hour Practice session. Qualifying will have 1 car on the track at a time. Each car will have 4 laps, an out lap, 2 timed laps, and an in lap. Running order will be chosen by the driver with the quickest practice time.

For the drivers championship, each driver will have 2 drop races. The teams championship will not have drop rounds.

Push to pass (similar to Indycar) will be used, with details to be announced.

Tires will be grooved all weather tires developed by Michelin. They will last the entire race, and will be designed to deal with the unique challenges of an electric drivetrain.

Races will be standing start and last 1 hour with 2 mandatory pitstops to change cars, no tire changes will be permitted except in the case of a puncture.

Calendar:

The inaugural season of Formula E will consist of 10 rounds held at street circuits around the globe. The first event will be in China in September of 2014, with the Finale held in London in June 2015.

Round 1:
Beijing, China. 13 September 2014

Round 2:
Putrajaya, Malaysia. 18 October 2014

Round 3:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 15 November 2014

Round 4:
Punta del Este, Uruguay. 13 December 2014

Round 5:
Buenos Aires, Argentina. 10 January 2015

Round 6:
Los Angeles, USA. 14 February 2015

Round 7:
Miami, USA. 14 March 2015

Round 8:
Monte Carlo, Monaco. 9 May 2015 (With Formula 1)

Round 9:
Berlin, Germany. 30 May 2015

Round 10:
London, UK. 27 June 2015

Teams:

Ten teams will contest the 2014/15 season, each fielding 4 cars (for 2 drivers).


Drayson Racing Formula E Team
Nationality: UK
Drivers: TBA
Website: www.draysonracingfe.com

Bio: Since 2007 Drayson Racing have pioneered low carbon motor racing initiatives in GT and Le Mans prototype endurance racing, while more recently they have worked with the FIA Electric and New Energies Commission on accelerating EV technology. The team have also designed, built and tested its own hyper EV race car - the 850hp Lola-Drayson B12/69EV - as well as set a new world record for the fastest speed recorded by a lightweigth electric vehicle. In addition to fielding two drivers, Drayson Racing will act as a scientific adviser to the Championship as well as help test the Formula E car. The team hopes to field it's own drivetrain by 2015.


China Racing
Nationality: Chinese
Drivers: TBA
Website: www.teamchinaracing.com

Bio: Team China Racing started in 2004 in Beijing as one of the A1GP Teams, authorised by the Ministry of Sports of China. Led by Steven Lu and Yu Liu, it has competed in several different international racing series including A1GP, Superleague Formula and FIA GT1.


Andretti Autosport
Nationality: American
Drivers: Franck Montagny, TBA
Website: www.anderttiautosport.com/

Bio: Based in Indianapolis and led by racing legend Michael Andretti, Andretti Autosport fields multiple entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series. Andretti Autosport also campaigns multiple cars in Firestone Indy Lights, the Pro Mazda Championship and in the USF2000 National Championship. The company boasts four IZOD IndyCar Series championships (2004, 2005, 2007 and 2012), two Firestone Indy Lights titles (2008 and 2009), one USF2000 championship (2010) and has won the Indianapolis 500 twice (2005 and 2007).


Dragon Racing Formula E Team
Nationality: American
Drivers: TBA
Website: www.dragonracing.com

Bio: Dragon Racing first began in 2006 under the original banner of Luczo Dragon Racing founded by both Jay Penske and Steve Luczo, Chairman and CEO of Seagate Technologies. In May 2007, they made their debut at the Indianapolis 500 finishing an impressive fifth with Ryan Briscoe. Two years later they completed their first full IndyCar season claiming Rookie of the Year with Raphael Matos.


e.dams Formula E Team
Nationality: French
Drivers: TBA
Website: www.dams.fr

Bio: e.dams is a brand new team developed specically for Formula E. Based just outside Le Mans, France, the squad is a joint venture between two of the biggest names in European motorsport - Jean-Paul Driot, founder of top single-seater team Dams and racing legend Alain Prost, a four-time Formula One World Champion. With almost 25 years' experience, Jean-Paul has led his squad to numerous team and driver titles including International F3000, A1GP, Auto GP, GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5. Meanwhile, Prost is one of the world's most successful and experienced drivers with four F1 titles (1985, 86, 89 & 93), 51 Grand Prix victories and 108 podiums to his name.


Super Aguri Formula E Team
Nationality: Japanese
Drivers: TBA
Website: www.superaguri.com

Bio: Super Aguri is back!
Super Aguri Formula E was founded in 2013 by four partners: Aguri Suzuki (Executive Chairman), Mark Preston (Team Principal), Peter McCool (Technical Director) and Ferry Spijkerman (Commercial Director).The Super Aguri name is best known for its association in Formula 1 where Super Aguri F1 competed in the sport from 2006 until 2008. The expertise and knowledge gained in F1 will now be applied to creating eco-conscious technological solutions which can be used in major urban cities such as Tokyo.


Audi Sport ABT Formula E Team
Nationality: German
Drivers: Lucas di Grassi, Daniel Abt
Website: www.abt-sportsline.de

Bio: With five titles to its credit in the DTM alone ABT Sportsline is one of the most successful German teams, which has also achieved victories and titles in GT and endurance racing.
Led by Team Principal Hans-Jürgen Abt, the squad is located in Germany’s Allgäu region, and will compete under the name of Audi Sport ABT Formula E Team - which is based on the name used in its successful commitment as an Audi factory team in the popular international touring car series DTM. The team’s new venture marks a return to the outfit’s early Formula outings in the 1990s when ABT scored its initial successes in Formel ADAC and Formula Three.


Mahindra Racing
Nationality: Indian
Drivers: Karun Chandok, Bruno Senna
Website: www.mahindraracing.com

Bio: Already a major global force in the development and production of electric vehicles through its Mahindra Reva Company, Mahindra Racing is the eighth team to race in Formula E. Mahindra Racing is no stranger to international motor sport, competing in the FIM Moto GP World Motorcycle Racing Championship – the first Indian team to do in 2011. Based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra is a USD 16.2 billion multinational group employing more than 180,000 in over 100 countries.


Virgin Racing
Nationality: UK
Drivers: Sam Bird, Jaime Alguesuari
Website: www.virgin.com

Bio: After failing to score a point in it's short-lived Formula 1 adventure, The Virgin brand returns to top level motorsport! Virgin is a brand that is strongly associated with technology and innovation, and is passionate about developing pioneering technology that can be put to commercial use, in the case of Formula E, directly impacting on cars on the road. The Virgin Racing Formula E Team is headed by Team Principal Alex Tai, who has been directly involved in a number of Virgin’s pioneering technology projects in aviation, space and more recently racing, alongside Sir Richard Branson.


Venturi Grand Prix
Nationality: Monegasque (Monaco)
Drivers: TBA
Website: www.venturi.fr / www.leonardodicaprio.com

Bio: Clearly the team with the best name in the field, Venturi Grand Prix is a colaberation between Gildo Pallanca Pastor, founder of pioneering EV manufacturer Venturi Automobiles and actor Leonardo di Caprio, along with Bert Hedaya and Frances Costa. The team is centred around the award-winning Venturi Automobiles, a leader in high performance electric vehicles developing a range of sports, urban and utilitarian cars, as well as being the current holders of the world land speed record for an electric vehicle with 495kph (307mph). Plus, they make a road car called the Fetish. No, I'm not joking.


I will continue to update this post as more news becomes available.
 
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What does everyone think of the fact 5 are capitals and 5 are not? I think personally this is far fairer with regard to the promotion and media build-up that will inevitably happen the closer each event comes.
 
The demo video is good, the above is the reason I myself am not looking forward to electric racing. I'm 8:42 in and can't finish this. I don't hate the cars, I hate the snobs trying to force them on us and wasting time trying to legitimize (or the opposite for some) by talking me to death. You want it legitimized, show it off as it is intended to be used, words do not sway me. Also why do these three come across to me as jack-asses?
 
BKGlover
The demo video is good, the above is the reason I myself am not looking forward to electric racing. I'm 8:42 in and can't finish this. I don't hate the cars, I hate the snobs trying to force them on us and wasting time trying to legitimize (or the opposite for some) by talking me to death. You want it legitimized, show it off as it is intended to be used, words do not sway me. Also why do these three come across to me as jack-asses?
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Don't get me wrong, I don't like eco-snobs. But if you ignore the entitled attitudes, the technical side is fascinating. The amount of force the tires have to cope with during acceleration is mind-boggling, because an electric motor has 100% torque at all times. It will be interesting to see how the racing is, since the cars will accelerate off the corners like rocketships.
 
Right, after a long quiet period (except for that embarrassingly bad promo video) there is finally some more news to report.

Formula E has lauched the "Drivers Club", a list of drivers who endorse the series and will get a test in the Spark-Renault SRT_01E Formula E car. Note that the drivers on the list are not necessarily the drivers that will be on the grid once the season is underway. Notable names include former F1 driver Jaime Alguesuari and Ben Collins, formerly Top Gear's Stig. http://www.fiaformulae.com/drivers

On the Drivers note,
ABT Sportsline has signed former F1 and Audi LMP1 driver Lucas di Grassi and GP2 Driver Daniel Abt as the drivers for this season. http://www.fiaformulae.com/news/abt-reveal-drivers-line-up

I think I can be excused for double posting, as it's been 3 months.
 
I've been excited about this series since i heard about it back in 2012... As it stands, I'm going to the London GP in 2015 (anyone is welcome to meet up).

The field looks very interesting.. As do the rules. Looks like it's going to be a very interesting series and i genuinely hope it takes off properly...
 
So they will actually have gears to play with from the looks of it?

Also what a weird season schedule. Kinda like grade school or something.
 
hawkeye122
I have no clue. I suppose I should actually read the article... They said "No rules" so..
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But you know how formula racing works...? ;)

I never thought that electric cars were really the future, I mean really the future until about three or four years ago when I first saw a Tesla doing a fast lap. It's actually a lot noisier than you think, but very weird.

This year's super-hybrids in Formula 1 show the current state-of-the-art in low-loss KR systems, the E-Formula will drive that even further.

I'd love to burn gallons and gallons of lovely fuel and go BWAAAAAHHHHH off every set of lights, and some days I do. I've got to be mature though and accept the reality that this can't go on forever. E Formula is one of the things that, when I eventually by an electric car, will mean it's a fun one.
 
I still fail to see the relevance of this series, it's main selling point is that it's environmentally friendly which is great but there is no development because the FIA have made it Dallara and McLaren exclusive. If the teams were allowed to race their own cars it would be a useful series for pushing forward the development of EV's. It would also have encouraged some of the big manufactures who went missing from F1 back into motorsport but no instead we have yet another spec series for single seaters with the only gimmick being a 100m run between cars in the pitlane.

As far as I'm concerned the technology at Le Mans is far more impressive and is actually pitting manufacture against manufacture. If you want to watch Formula E because you want to see single seaters driven by washed up F1 aspirants why not watch Super Formula, the drivers are of a similar quality, the cars are roughly as quick as GP2 cars and more importantly there is Honda vs Toyota rivalry.

/Rant over
 
Diehardracer
Seems a bit drawn out.

After a FP session and a qualifying session in the early morning, in the late morning they will do a qualifying lap time in both cars A and B.

And after a 2hr break to recharge the cars, in the evening their will be one 45min race with 3 stints and 2 pit stops which will see the driver change car when the battery of Car A runs out. The driver will have to run 100 meters to climb into the recharged car (Car B).

Bizarre to say the least.

In regard to the much discussed noise level the cars have been set at 80db. An ordinary car is 70db and a bus is 90db. But a F1 track is 130db.
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That's a LOT higher than I expected!

Which clever mathemtician can work out the p/h power loss between -80Db and the originally proposed -40Db? I'm crap at this equation...

I know Ferrari are aiming for 105Db to save fuel this year but obviously they didn't give figures to extrapolate from...and then there's the inverse squaring... I think...
 
GOTMAXPOWER
I still fail to see the relevance of this series, it's main selling point is that it's environmentally friendly which is great but there is no development because the FIA have made it Dallara and McLaren exclusive. If the teams were allowed to race their own cars it would be a useful series for pushing forward the development of EV's. It would also have encouraged some of the big manufactures who went missing from F1 back into motorsport but no instead we have yet another spec series for single seaters with the only gimmick being a 100m run between cars in the pitlane.

As far as I'm concerned the technology at Le Mans is far more impressive and is actually pitting manufacture against manufacture. If you want to watch Formula E because you want to see single seaters driven by washed up F1 aspirants why not watch Super Formula, the drivers are of a similar quality, the cars are roughly as quick as GP2 cars and more importantly there is Honda vs Toyota rivalry.

/Rant over
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The idea is to run a spec car for the first couple of seasons to try and get a foothold in the racing world without forcing teams to spend a massive amount of money developing their own car. If/when the series seems like it's going to be here to stay, the teams will be encouraged to build their own car, but will be able to use the Dallara package if they lack the resources to do so. They could also make their own internals and just use the Dallara chassis. Multiple teams have plans to build their own car, Drayson has already begun work on a power train.
 
aarror
The idea is to run a spec car for the first couple of seasons to try and get a foothold in the racing world without forcing teams to spend a massive amount of money developing their own car. If/when the series seems like it's going to be here to stay, the teams will be encouraged to build their own car, but will be able to use the Dallara package if they lack the resources to do so. They could also make their own internals and just use the Dallara chassis. Multiple teams have plans to build their own car, Drayson has already begun work on a power train.
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Yep, it's a good compromise. It's true that early development will be limited but the first couple of seasons will inform the direction of development much better if everyone works together rather than all spending millions on tech that's already been superseded by the next garage.
 

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