Last week Cape Town announced that it would host a round of the FIA Formula E World Championship in February next year. It is the first official World Championship single-seater race in Mzansi since the 1993 South African Grand Prix. Motorsport fans generally have a somewhat yellowish view of electrically powered motorsport. The reasons are simple. Conventional motorsport involves really noisy cars or motorcycles that charge up on racetracks and dispel tearful, harmful gasoline, methanol or Castrol oil fumes in the process. The smell of racing gasoline is intoxicating and the sound of a roaring V8 dragster, a screeching V12 Ferrari F1 or …
Last week Cape Town announced that it would host a round of the FIA Formula E World Championship in February next year. It is the first official World Championship single-seater race in Mzansi since the 1993 South African Grand Prix.
Motorsport enthusiasts generally have a somewhat yellowish view of electrically powered motorsport. The reasons are simple. Conventional motorsport involves really noisy cars or motorcycles that charge up on racetracks and dispel tearful, harmful gasoline, methanol or Castrol oil fumes in the process. The smell of racing gasoline is intoxicating and the sound of a roaring V8 dragster, a screeching V12 Ferrari F1 or a stratospheric high-speed two-stroke motorcycle tearing up your eardrum is orgasmic.
All very politically incorrect and socially irresponsible, but adored by millions around the world. The mere thought of quiet racing cars seemed like heresy when it arrived in 2011.
From the beginning, Formula E played in front of a large audience, and automobile manufacturers – knowing that electric cars are the future – took the opportunity to present their latest technology to their next generation of customers.
If you have never followed the world of electric racing, here are some things you need to know:
Target market
Formula E continues to grow rapidly as the only Formula 1 racing series outside of Formula 1 with a world championship title. And its organizers don’t care what dyed-out old enthusiasts think of their car format.
Her show is aimed at younger people – cell phone addicts and computer junkies. You don’t want to drive far from home to a race track, pay admission, endure eardrum punishing noises and try to keep track of long races.
ALSO READ: Cape Town will get the nod to host Formula E in 2022
In 2011, FIA President Jean Todt and Spanish business mogul Alejandro Agag developed the concept of city-based electric car racing. It was a compelling idea – with zero CO2 emissions, the cars would be welcome in the city centers.
Formula E, for example, attracts many random spectators who happen to be in town, strolling over to see what it’s about and experiencing motorsport live for the first time. Conventional circuit racing would have no chance of attracting these people.
Who are the host cities?
The South African round will be one of twelve held in a variety of countries between late January and mid-August. Aside from Cape Town, Rome, Berlin, London, New York, Monaco, Vancouver, Mexico City and Seoul will be host cities for next year’s title hunt.
With the support of the city involved, provisional tracks are being built. How long are the races? The races are short – today the drivers in the latest generation 2 vehicles of the series contest a format of 45 minutes plus one lap.
Manufacturer
Car manufacturers involved are currently Porsche, BMW, Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Mahindra and Nissan.
The hardware
The current Spark-Dallara SRT05e has an electric motor output of 250 kW, weighs 800 kg including the driver and reaches a theoretical top speed of 280 km / h. We say “theoretically”, because inner-city racetracks are designed for maximum spectator safety, which excludes long straights and high top speeds.
The Spark-Dallara has a sequential Hewland gearbox, runs on 18-inch Michelin all-weather tires, and the chassis has the same halo and T-shaped safety cage as in Formula 1, two and three cars.
The third generation Formula E car of the coming year will have an output of 300 kW. The chassis is built by Spark Racing Technology, Williams Advanced Engineering is supplying the battery, and Hankook is bringing all-weather tires.
Play element
To keep the new entrants happy, Formula E has added computer game aspects to the show – such as the “Attack Mode”, in which drivers can get an additional 25 kW of power by driving through a certain area of the racetrack away from the racing line drive. It worked.
Pace car
As expected, the pace car is also emission-free and no less than an electric mini.
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