Big-Name Drivers Flock to the First Fully Electric Racing Series

[satanboy]

Former F1 hotshoes Jarno Trulli and Nick Heidfeld are the latest big-name drivers to sign on for the all-electric Formula E series that kicks off later this year.

The two aces bring the total up to 40 drivers competing this season, which opens September 13 in Beijing. The depth of talent underscores just how seriously the drivers, and the 10 teams competing in Formula E, are taking the series and the effort the FIA is putting into making it succeed.

“Formula E is a really exciting project and a really big innovation in motor racing,” says Sebastien Bourdais, who has competed in Champ Car, F1 and Le Mans. “You don’t get to be a part of such technological advances very often in a career.”

While there is some hand-wringing over the viability of the sport–which, at this point, is essentially a spec series with Dallara providing the chassis and McLaren most of the electronics–any problems with e-racing won’t stem from lack of talent. In January, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile launched the Drivers’ Club as a talent pool for teams to draw on; the roster includes former F1 drivers Sebastien Buemi, Nick Heidfeld, Takuma Sato, Bruno Senna, Jarno Trulli, and Lucas di Grassi.
Even The Stig got a seat. Ben Collins, the 39-year-old former Formula 3, GT and stock car racer has signed on to race during this year’s inaugural season, but he’s most well known as one of the tame racing drivers featured on the insanely popular BBC show Top Gear. He’s also done stunt driving work for Hollywood, including the latest James Bond movies, Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale, and Skyfall.

Trulli and Heidfeld were among four drivers announced Wednesday. Trulli is an old hand with open-wheeled racing, having competed in 256 grands prix between 1997 to 2011–a record that makes him one of the most experienced F1 drivers in history. Heidfeld spent 11 years in F1, racking up an impressive 13 podium finishes yet never winning a race. He’s been kicking around in endurance racing since getting bumped from Renault in 2011 and is eager to get behind the wheel of a Formula E racer.

“Like many people in and outside the motorsport industry, I have watched its progress for a while,” Heidfeld said in a statement. “To me it looks like the series of the future and the combination of the highest competition combined with challenging circuits in some of the best cities around the globe really gets me excited.”

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/03/formula-e-drivers/

 

[NeilCroe]

Most exciting thing about this series is the fact the cars should hopefully lead to more actual racing and overtaking... Big electric motors gonna make lotsa of torque, trickier to drive, and big acceleration in theory... Hopefully them having to make the cars last a race distance means that they gonna worry about cutting drag, and therefore sacrificing the killer of all racing, DOWNFORCE

 

[Quantum Theory]

Most exciting thing about this series is the fact the cars should hopefully lead to more actual racing and overtaking... Big electric motors gonna make lotsa of torque, trickier to drive, and big acceleration in theory... Hopefully them having to make the cars last a race distance means that they gonna worry about cutting drag, and therefore sacrificing the killer of all racing, DOWNFORCE

Cars don't have to last race distance. They are swopping cars halfway... Top speed is quite a lot slower than other racing. I think this will be boring TBH.

 

[Ancalagon]

Power[edit]
Max power (limited): 200 kW (268 hp), approx 230 N·m (170 ft·lbf) torque (estimated)[11]
Race mode (power-saving): 133 kW (178 hp)
Push-to-Pass: Additional 67 kW (90 hp)
Maximum power will be available during practice and qualifying sessions. During races, power-saving mode will apply with the 'Push-to-Pass' system temporarily allowing maximum power for a limited time. The amount of energy that can be delivered to the MGU by the RESS is limited to 30 kWh. This will be permanently monitored by the FIA.

Taken from the wiki page. My car is 20 years old and is more powerful than these things when they are in race mode. Sounds pretty unexciting.

With a 220km/h max speed, they will hit that speed within seconds, which means that any courses with long straights will be a bore fest. Probably why they are using street circuits only.

 

[OGroteKoning]

It will be ultra weird seeing cars whizz past and there is only the sound of tyres

 

[Dion Disco]

Will there be any sound when these cars swooosh around the track ?
Maybe play some Harley sounds through a speaker underneath the car ;-)

 

[NeilCroe]

Top end means nothing to racing imo, what's the point of doing 300km/h if there no overtaking and actual racing...

 

[sox63]

As boring as this might be to watch, can you imagine the development that will filter through to road cars? Nice initiative

 

[greg0205]

You boys pay to watch racing at Kyalami? Think it's exciting? Mineshaft is much, much slower than you think and lap times are made or broken in turns one and two... Unless you're dealing with the Brickyard or Monza, grip > top speed every time. That 286hp in a 700kg car puts the machines in SLR and 458 or GP3 territory. If the drivers are good and the racing is close it'll be good to watch... Just not to listen to.

 

[Quantum Theory]

As boring as this might be to watch, can you imagine the development that will filter through to road cars? Nice initiative

I've said it before and I'll say it again. There is only one car that all teams will use... Nothing incredible will happen, until this becomes a competition between different manufacturers. Then I will start watching.

 

[Jab]

I've been thinking for a while that the only way for F1 to become interesting again would be for them to switch to all electric racing. They should remove all power and weight restrictions. This would recapture the feel of the early day when new innovations makes a massive difference rather than today racing where it's about shaving decimals for the the tiniest marginal improvement. This would also be a brilliant way to improve electrical cars, like it was for the combustion engine of yesteryear.

 

[HapticSimian]

I've been thinking for a while that the only way for F1 to become interesting again would be for them to switch to all electric racing. They should remove all power and weight restrictions. This would recapture the feel of the early day when new innovations makes a massive difference rather than today racing where it's about shaving decimals for the the tiniest marginal improvement. This would also be a brilliant way to improve electrical cars, like it was for the combustion engine of yesteryear.

This represents, fairly closely I'd hazard, the pinnacle of what can be achieved with all-electric at the moment - a car that'll scramble your brain... for 15 minutes before the batteries run flat.

F1 2014 is pretty damn impressive in my eyes: 550+ kW from a 1.6l engine; an electric system capable of providing a 120kW boost over and above that; that self-same system working in reverse to negate turbo lag at the exit of corners... They might sound like Roombas and look like, erm, bedroom aids but F1 hasn't been as relevant in 3 decades.

 

[thestaggy]

. . .but F1 hasn't been as relevant in 3 decades.

+1