An electric version of F1

They’re going to need a long extension cable: An electric version of F1 aims to turbo charge the environment-friendly car market

It will accelerate from 0 to 60mph in less than three seconds, before topping out at close to 140mph, but unlike most race cars, the all-new Spark-Renault isn’t a high-octane monster but an electric green machine that could boost the electric car industry.

Formula E, a new electric racing championship that will lead “a silent revolution”, is the brainchild of Alejandro Agag, a businessman and former political aide to the Spanish president, who is already team principle of a GP2 race team. “There are more sports fans in the world than environmentalists,” he said. “But at the moment people don’t think of electric cars as fun or cool. Formula E hopes to change that.”
According to Mr Agag the FIA-approved championship is “a new form of environmentally friendly racing” that will see 10 teams compete on 10 closed-street races around the world, starting in Beijing in September 2014 before coming to London in June 2015.
Drivers will stop for a new car halfway through each hour-long race – for a fresh electric battery. Despite this, Mr Agag hopes to create excitement with social media interaction: “Fans will be able to vote for their top driver during the race. And the driver with the most votes earns an extra power surge.”
It has been described as a “glorified milk-float race”, but Mr Agag argues Formula E will “push electric cars into the mainstream”. He is also quick to point to a report from Ernst & Young which predicts the new championship could encourage the purchase of 77 million new electric cars, create 42,000 green jobs and save 900 million tons of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere – the equivalent of Italy’s annual output – over the next 25 years.
Chas Hallett, What Car? editor in chief, told The IoS that motorsport has always been a “valuable marketing tool” for selling cars but that manufacturers “need a lot more awareness of electric vehicles to drive sales”.
Electric car sales in the UK jumped by 25 per cent in the last quarter to 1,149 registrations, according to the latest government figures, but growth is still 20 per cent slower than the rest of the new car market.
The Renault-Nissan alliance, the biggest player in the electric market, has admitted the two firms will miss their target of selling 1.5m cars between them by the end of 2016; Vauxhall has only managed to find 200 buyers for its Ampera electric model this year, and the much talked-about Model S from PayPal founder Elon Musk has only been shipped to 1,000 customers in Europe so far this year.
Mr Agag isn’t short of drive, though, and has ploughed “multiple millions” into the $100m (£62m) venture. Despite the fanfare, however, he doesn’t actually own an electric car himself yet. But he says that is going to change soon.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...t-8959725.html

Ah yes I can see me now in a formula e car as they will be so cool.
And wow they go for a full half hour before needing a recharge!

where can I buy one of these superior cars of the future..... </sarcasm>

I don't see why it couldn't work as they could change the battery in the pit stops.

I can't see that happening as it's not just one battery it's a pack of them just like a forklift or milk cart. And they would take a fair few minutes to change even with some kind of quick change mechanism they would have to be secured for health and safety.

im not saying the race would be rubbish and wouldn't work!
i refer to the part that says we don't think of electric cars as fun or cool and formula e aims to change that.

I think it is a great idea. There are many retail car aids and gadgets that have come straight from F1 developements. If money was thrown into the sport then it would only benifit retail cars in the end.

As quick change mechanism... why not? Its just a battery, all you need is a positive and negative terminals. No reason it couldn't be a large sealed unit.

Isn't there an electric version of F1 already - it's called Scalextric?

rather than formula e i'd like to see the current f1 cars completely automated without a driver and all the banned tech like active suspension, traction control as well as unregulated downforce with stuff like the old fan car or ground effect all made to work and see just how fast they can go without having to put anyone at risk during accidents or high g cornering

near silent racing vs complete tech freedom I know which id watch

Quote:

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Originally Posted by casio

rather than formula e i'd like to see the current f1 cars completely automated without a driver and all the banned tech like active suspension, traction control as well as unregulated downforce with stuff like the old fan car or ground effect all made to work and see just how fast they can go without having to put anyone at risk during accidents or high g cornering

near silent racing vs complete tech freedom I know which id watch

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i am the opposite to that, i wanna go back to old school ways, bring back refeuling, bring back the big ass engines, take away all the crap like DRS and KERS, let the tyres become stable and just let the guys race to find who the best driver is, i hate it when they keep ruining the sport by bringing in new things to limit what the drivers can do. i know it wont ever happen again, never will i see the races i saw as a kid in the early 90s with mansell, senna, prost, bergher, alesi again, but would be nice.

Although i tell you what i would like to see the sky F1 channel add, is the seniors F1 tour because i bet there are some cheeky moves in there.

I don't think it would take off. Half the point of going to the F1 is the feel of the cars passing. Without the sound of the cars I just don't think it would be right.

Saying that, it would be great for the electric car market if they could get it to work.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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Originally Posted by pratman

i am the opposite to that, i wanna go back to old school ways, bring back refeuling, bring back the big ass engines, take away all the crap like DRS and KERS, let the tyres become stable and just let the guys race to find who the best driver is, i hate it when they keep ruining the sport by bringing in new things to limit what the drivers can do. i know it wont ever happen again, never will i see the races i saw as a kid in the early 90s with mansell, senna, prost, bergher, alesi again, but would be nice.

Although i tell you what i would like to see the sky F1 channel add, is the seniors F1 tour because i bet there are some cheeky moves in there.

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You are are living in the past. Any motor sport with no limitation always = dead people. Anyway, if you went down the road of Motor Sport without limitations, then you might as well just do what happens in the Premier League.... work out which three teams have the most money, then flip a coin to see who will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

well thats your opinion i dont think its been a 5 horse race over the last 5 or 6 years with all these rules.........besides ferrari who else has been a genuine threat to the drivers championship to the redbull boys?

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Originally Posted by pratman

well thats your opinion i dont think its been a 5 horse race over the last 5 or 6 years with all these rules.........besides ferrari who else has been a genuine threat to the drivers championship to the redbull boys?

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Since 2006 Red Bull, Ferrari, Renault, Mclaren & Brawn GP have all won it!

But you can't get away from the danger issue. I think about 30 people have died over the years in F1 races. The last of which was Roland Rat and Senna in 1994... yes next season will be 20th year since anyone died in F1!

well since refeulling was taken out it just takes out that extra bit of guessing out of the race where teams run light at first or heavy and fuel up to finish a race, and since that stopped its all been about redbull and ferrari following up, i really think that is something hugely missed in F1. also look at the tyre fiasco, the fact the Pirelli want to give tyres that are so badly on the edge they are ruining races rather then assisting maximum grip to the drivers and will be durable in the race just ensures the drivers cant attack corners like thy used to.

Saw this and thought I would share it ;)
http://www.liveleak.com/ll_embed?f=14869aa7010d

to be honest the only thing I liked about the formula e car was the wheels, I like the bigger wheel much like the btcc, wtcc use. the current wheels are used so the tyre becomes part of the suspension if they took that away and gave them wheels like the formula e car then the whole of the front and rear suspension would change and make it a challenge to set up the car rather than a wet and dry setup being roughly the same

the sound was horrible though, I didnt like the screaming v8's I prefered the v10/v12's but whatever you can call that sound its certainly not sporty. If anything it was like an f1 car had a milk float dubbed over, also has it got a traditional gearbox? I thought the were all CVT