A quite good in-depth follow-up article has appeared at: Electric Power, Iconic Downtown Courses Highlight Formula E Just the Facts: Formula E, a futuristic — and silent — global racing series featuring electric single-seaters on street courses in iconic cities, is scheduled to launch in 2014. The series is endorsed by the FIA, which governs Formula 1 and other racing activities. The Formula E cars will be capable of speeds in excess of 125 mph.
BBC - Future - Technology - Formula E: Electric cars enter the fast lane That's pretty ridiculous. Who wants to see the driver switching cars at a pit stop? It reinforces the idea that EVs are lame. They should have been able to workout a way to do fast battery swaps while they're changing the tires. They say they couldn't find a way to swap batteries safely and yet normal racing allows using highly flammable liquid where stuff like this can happen:
I agree. Granted getting out of the car won't happen all together but this type of action is pretty dangerous itself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_start#Le_Mans I don't understand why they can't swap packs either. It can be done safely. Heck there could be regulations that the battery terminals are sealed and the car has to break them when installed? Or require a minimum of 2 minutes of pit time no matter what you actually do. There are a lot of ways to make a battery swap safe. Not to mention a pretty interesting engineering task. I like the racing series that put engineering to the test, versus having identical cars going around the track. ALMS and F1 (even though these races can get really monotonous) are super awesome. I think 24 hour endurance races are wildly exciting. And they contain many long (30minute +) pits. I don't see why having 4 second pits is really a necessity.
I wrenched on a Formula 5000 car in 1972 series. All the races were run as 3 short heats. Didn't hurt the racing. A great series sorely missed.
Cities announced: London, Rome, Los Angeles, Miami, Beijing, Putrajaya (in Malaysia), Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. Chance to host Formula E electric car race missed as pollution soars | South China Morning Post
Anybody know how they plan on keeping the motor cool during the race? I hear EV motors often overheat when run flat out for prolonged periods.
Nice update article from James Allen: www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/05/formula-e-series-targets-reverse-calendar-for-debut-season-in-2014/
Andretti Autosport Becomes First American Formula E Team This is great news for us racing buffs that want to see sustainable racing in the U.S.: Andretti Autosport Becomes First American Formula E Team Maybe TMC could be a collective sponsor, if a group of us put up some $$$?
Motor cooling: intense active cooling plus ultra-efficient motors. Swapping: technically challenging to swap batteries because of how they'll be using them. Maybe if Gen 3 is a full success and Tesla has money to spare they'll be abke to sponsor and provide tech. Or maybe a sponsor can pay Tesla to develop swapping. Endurance racing swaps drivers, no problem swapping cars, especially if they only have 2 cars, fast-charging the first 1 for the 3rd leg. Not as cool as swapping batteries though. You might think it'll provide ammunition to opponents, but just watch what happens with the progress. Startmwith 2 swaps, then it's a technicak battle between improving performance and reducing to a single swap. Can't wait to see this.
Latest unveiling at Frankfurt and interview with Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/video/2013/sep/10/formula-e-fully-electric-racing-car-video
And Hong Kong seems to be back on the list (nothing like a little bit of negative press to kick the wheels of government): HK charges ahead with electric car race - The Standard
After reaching the Economist article, I wonder if Tesla's technology could be adapted for Formula E? The Economist explains: Could Formula E ever rival Formula 1? | The Economist