Formula E

Sort of related:

Drayson Racing electric car sets new world speed record

 

Andretti Autosport becomes the next new team to join.

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I had a look on the formula e website and it looks like they already have the teams, they are just revealing them 1 by 1 now. one team at least will be from F1, GP2 and Indy by the sounds of it. Andretti must be the Indy team though I wonder if this is something Penske would do too?

 

Hopefully someone in the UK (not sky) get rights to show this! The cars look great

 

ITV or Channel 4 might get it but I don't think it's exactly going to take the world by storm initially, they might stick it on ITV4 or something.

 

So are Andretti building their own cars, or simply running one that Dallara/Bluebird have produced?

 

Don't quote me on this, but I remember hearing that all teams will use the same chassis provided for at least the first year.

 

Hmm… just reading latest comments, I clicked 'Restore auto-saved content' which revealed something I thought I'd posted long ago:

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Could we be witnessing E's perfect moment?

With the FIA lacking leadership and Ecclestone not far from a contact breaker, 'the pinnacle' is showing cracks which may not withstand another earthquake. I sense the possibility that FE could attract big interest. All it will take is a diversion of currency from big players such as Honda. So is it only a matter of time 'til F1 fuses to a fossil*?

Not so long ago, F1 survived another threat of a breakaway series: it was like watching a rehearsal for something – before Bernie's seeds of disunity took root and once again bore fruit. But was it just a trick of the light, or are real clouds looming over a roughening sea? Perhaps F1's high tide has already been reached; and of course, water is a good conductor.

*The alternative is that F1 will morph into something capable of absorbing the shock. Indeed, if it is to survive in the long-term, it must.

 

Yeah the rules suggest that there is a lot of freedom, but start with Dallara chassis, McLaren drivetrain and electronics, Williams battary and Hewlard gearbox.

 

Cosi, agree with a lot of that, and I think it depends on the fate of internal combustion. Long term, vehicles are looking to be either electric, or replace petrol with biofuels like ethanol. In the latter scenario, I'd expect F1 to survive and just tweak fuel regulations, but should things go the other way, things will be more interesting.

If a major player, for example Honda, reckons electric is the future, then a successful first season for FE could bring them into the sport pretty quickly. The headline speed figures for the 2014 cars are already in line with performance road cars, so it's not that great a stretch to imagine that in 5-10 years, performance could begin to threaten F1 territory, particularly when its helped by freer tech regs, and especially if a big name gets on board.

If you've then got a series with similar performance, and infinitely better green credentials, I can really see other manufacturers joining. F1 hasn't got a great track record in responding to the desires of big car companies quickly, so I could well see a shift to FE before F1 has a chance to respond. And personally, I'm all for that. F1 sorely needs a rebirth to me, and FE looks like an excellent way of doing that.

 

F1 is falling well behind with technology, its supposed to be at the forefront but its being held back by over simplistic regulations. NA engines have been outshone by TDI's and TSI's for some time now in both road and race cars yet its taken till 2014 for F1 to catch up. These new engines are already outdated with their limited use of charged systems and the hybrid well short of what is possible. Theres no point saving costs if you're not going to do it properly.

 

That could actually be a perfect scenario for F1 fans. If the F1 teams decide to move over to FE if the series has success, FE will essentially become the new Formula 1. We'll have a mix of teams that have high knowledge in engineering pitted against teams that have learnt the best ways to make electric cars go as fast as they can. Surely that will mean a lot of teams that are at the top? And we'll also have a lot of teams in the sport as well, which is always good for fans

 

I'd certainly be happy with it. Not that I expect Bernie to still be in control in 5-10 years (surely the man has to retire eventually??), no doubt CVC will appoint a successor who is equally miserly with giving teams the money they need. As FE is starting from a very low point commercially, hopefully all the money is pumped back into teams to help them survive, and it can explode quickly whilst keeping the same principles in place.

 

I've just realised my last couple of posts on this thread are all but calling for the demise of F1. Probably not the best thing to be saying - I'd be out of this incredibly lucrative job!

 

No we are getting somewhere!

Formula E eyes in-race dynamic recharging to replace two-car format

Formula E is hoping to introduce dynamic on-track charging in the future.

The goal was revealed as part of the announcement of a multi-year founding technological partnership with wireless technology company Qualcomm in Berlin, ahead of Tuesday's full unveiling of the new car at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The dynamic charging technology would allow the all-electric cars to be charged wirelessly during a race, with plans to have a 'racing line', and an 'energy line', on which the cars could recharge.

There is no specific timeline on the dynamic charging, Qualcomm only revealing that it is likely to be available in a low single digit number of years.

 

Wireless charging. now that's some revolutionary technology. Imagine that in the future on phones and laptops. Formula E is the perfect test ground for this!

 

I think Scalextric need to get their lawyers on the case here...
However, full scale Scalextric, every kids dream come true there (well, mine anyway )

 

why not put up some chicken wire above the track to start off with?

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So basically Lego Racers 2 in real life! #obscurereference

This is the only thing which worries me really. I don't think the technology is quite as ready to be introduced as the PR people are making out. If they are going to introduce it, it has better be 100% ready, no teething troubles.

And remember, the FIA can't even get DRS to work properly half the time

Nevertheless - incredibly exciting stuff, we are living in the future!

 

Formula E have unveiled the car they're using in the inaugural championship!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/109792

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