[mayankk]

We had the A1 racing which ,at inception, looked to be a worthy weekend alternative in the off season. I am not aware as to whether that still runs or not, that was the level of non-interest it generated.
However, I AM looking forward to this series:


Source:

http://www.fiaformulae.com/guide

Introduction

Formula E is a brand new FIA championship featuring Formula cars powered exclusively by electric energy. It represents a vision for the future of the motor industry over the coming decades, serving as a framework for research and development around the electric vehicle, accelerating general interest in these cars and promoting sustainability.

Commencing in September 2014 through to June 2015, the Championship will compete in the heart of 10 of the world's leading cities - including London, Beijing and Los Angeles - racing around their iconic landmarks. For the inaugural season, 10 teams, each with two drivers, will go head-to-head creating a unique and exciting racing series designed to appeal to a new generation of motorsport fan.

Operating as an 'open championship', the series gives car manufacturers and constructors the opportunity to showcase their electrical energy innovations in a racing environment, designing cars to the technical specifications set out by the FIA.

The Championship centres around three core values of Energy, Environment and Entertainment and is a fusion of engineering, technology, sport, science, design, music and entertainment - all combining to drive the change towards an electric future.


The Car

The FIA Formula E Championship is designed as an ‘open championship’, inspiring manufacturers and constructors to build their own fully-electric cars, subject to the technical specifications set out by the FIA.

As well as encouraging competition, it is hoped that by making the Championship a multi-make series it will serve as a framework for research and development around the electric vehicle and push the boundaries of the technology that is currently available.
Spark-Renault SRT_01E


The Spark-Renault SRT-01E is the first car to be homologated by the FIA. Using the very latest technology, the zero emission SRT_01E aims to stretch the boundaries of what is currently achievable in electric motorsport, whilst ensuring a balance between cost-effectiveness and sustainability, in addition to coping with the demands of racing entirely on street circuits.

It has been built by new French company Spark Racing Technology, led by the renowned Frédéric Vasseur, together with a consortium of some of the leading companies in motorsport. Italian firm Dallara, who boast more than 40 years' motorsport experience, have constructed the monocoque chassis, aerodynamically designed to aid overtaking. Made from carbon fibre and aluminium, the chassis is both super lightweight and incredibly strong and fully complies with the 2014 FIA crash tests - the same used to regulate Formula One.

Providing the electric powertrain and electronics is McLaren Electronics Systems, the world leader in high-performance technology for motorsport. Meanwhile, Williams Advanced Engineering, part of the Williams group of companies that includes the world famous Williams F1 Team, will supply the batteries producing 200kw, the equivalent of 270bhp. This will be linked to a paddle shift sequential gearbox, supplied by Hewland, with fixed ratios to help reduce costs further.

Overseeing all the systems integration will be the Championship's Technical Partner Renault, a leader of electric vehicles and an expert in motorsport thanks to its Renault Sport Technologies and Renault Sport F1 programmes. Specially designed durable tyres will be supplied by Official Tyre Partner Michelin.



The website says 85 days to go, and the event format is the same as F1.
One thing, though, the cars do look amazing.

[arun_kun]

In one of the sites I read that each driver needs to change his car twice as one car can not go full race distance. And you need to get out of one car and run for 100m and then take another car.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by arun_kun

In one of the sites I read that each driver needs to change his car twice as one car can not go full race distance. And you need to get out of one car and run for 100m and then take another car.

Well you ain't wrong.

So, presumably, an Usain Hamilton would the driver of choice!

http://www.fia.com/championship/fia-...e-championship

Specifications

• There will be 10 teams – 20 drivers – 40 cars
• Each team will include 2 drivers and 4 cars
• e-Prix will be held in 10 cities across the world
• Racetracks will be in town: 2.5 to 3 km long
• Cars will accelerate from 0 to 100Km/h in 3 seconds, with a maximum speed of 220Km/h
• Noise decibel levels: ordinary car=70dB; Formula E=80dB; bus=90dB

The Race

• Early morning: free practice session, followed by qualifying.
• Late morning: qualifying 1 lap time each driver with both cars A and B
• Afternoon: a 2-hour break to recharge the cars
• Evening: Final race with 3 stints and 2 pit stops
• Pit stop will involve a change of car: when the battery runs out, the driver will make a pit stop, then will run 100 metres to climb into a recharged car

[zenren]

Interesting. We'll have the European car manufacturers competing in F1 and the Japanese makers like Toyota, Honda and Nissan being strong in FE.

Will Mahindra take Reva for an outing?

[Visran]

Mahindra Reva mulling 2014 Formula-E entry

Indian electric car manufacturer Mahindra Reva is considering an entry into the FIA Formula E championship in 2014.The electric-powered single-seater championship is set to kickoff in September next year with a 10-race calendar featuring street circuits in London, Monaco, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles and Hong Kong,among others.

Autocar India has learnt that, being the sole electric car manufacturer in the country, Mahindra Reva has shown interest in fielding a team after talks with Formula E boss Alejandro Agag took place earlier this year.Following the car’s official launch at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, Chetan Maini, chief of strategy and technology at Mahindra, is understood to have visited the Williams and McLaren (both suppliers to the Formula E) facilities. The final go-ahead is expected to come around November, right before official testing of the Formula E car is scheduled to commence.

Indycar squads Andretti Autosport and Dragon Racing are the only two teams that have committed to Formula E so far.

The championship will be a spec-series in its inaugural season, with all teams using the same chassis and powertrain. However, for 2015, the teams will have to design and race their own power units, which includes the electric motor, transmission (currently supplied by McLaren)and batteries(currently supplied by Williams).

Given the open nature of the championship in 2015, Mahindra is currently evaluating the feasibility of the project. It wantsto ensure that the effort is worth the investment, since it will take up significant resources despite the fact that its Bangalore facility is the world’s largest operational plant dedicated to assembly of battery electric vehicles.

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...-358799.aspx/0

[rshanker]

From the article

Mahindra has officially announced that they will compete in the all new Formula E Championship starting in 2014. The Indian manufacturer is the eighth team to be announced, out of a targeted 10 teams, to compete in the all-electric FIA-backed championship.

Source link below
http://overdrive.in/news/mahindra-to...-championship/

EDIT: Thanks for the update mods. Sorry about the double posts, been facing 'Connection Timeout' issues

[Aditya]

Mahindra Racing has announced its participation in the inaugural FIA Formula E Championship, which begins in September 2014. The only Indian entry, Mahindra racing is the eighth out of a targeted ten teams to sign up for the series.

Link to News Article

[gurramvimal]

Wow this is seriously surprising.
We hope the best for India.
Get going INDIA

[Aditya]

Mahindra Racing has announced that Karun Chandok and Bruno Senna will drive for the team in the inaugural season of the FIA Formula E Championship.

Link to Team-BHP News Article

[GTO]

Thought an electric car can't do donuts? Well, think again

Karun Chandhok doing doughnuts on the Westminster Bridge, London.

[mayankk]

Airing today on star sports 4 at 1 pm.

[zenren]

2014-2015 Season thread started.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intl-m...14-season.html

Let the electric action begin...

[dj78]

Watching the highlights now - I'm finding the squeaking sound of the cars to be quite irritating.

Regarding the pit strategy - Hope they loop at swapping battery packs rather than the car itself. Looks funny indeed!

Something that stands out in the Rules and Regulation - FanBoost. Seems more suitable for a reality show and not a race.

Source - http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/guide/rules-and-regs.aspx
FanBoost
Fans can give their favourite driver an extra speed boost by voting for them prior to the race. The three drivers with the most votes will each receive a 5-second ‘power boost’ per car per driver, temporarily increasing their car’s power from 150kw to 180kw. Just click here to cast your vote. You can change your mind as many times as you want until voting closes a short time before the start of the race.

[RM Motorsports]

Formula E boss rules out race in “tax aggressive” India

https://www.motorsport.com/in/formul...india/3209086/