11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racing
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
We’ve just spent a packed, very hot weekend at the Fresh York City ePrix, the very first time the FIA Formula E electric-car racing series has come to the country’s media capital.
It was our very first Formula E race, and like many who go after electrical cars, we learned a lot.
More than that, we got a better sense of why this racing series is significant, and what it means for the future of electrical cars.
Very first, however, a primer on what the series is and how it works seems indicated—because these were things that were all somewhat fresh to us.
There was a lot to take in, and we determined to do it in the form of a numbered list.
The very first lesson will likely be the one that surprises racing fans the most.
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
(1) This is real racing, as many racing journalists and fans have discovered to their surprise once they’ve actually attended a race.
(Two) The open-wheel single-seat cars harshly resemble those in the Formula one Grand Prix series, much larger and infinitely more profitable, that’s also run by the FIA.
(Trio) Formula E is a truly global race series, and China is a big part of it. The Fresh York City ePrix we just attended was the second-to-last race in the series; it wraps up in Montreal in two weeks.
(Four) The field is limited to ten teams, which are largely European and Chinese, both startups (Faraday Future, Nio) and established makers (Audi, BMW, Renault). No U.S. or Japanese makers take part.
(Five) As in other series, the cars are often built and teams are run by third-party operators whose foot business is building race cars and contesting in them.
(6) Unlike most other series, these are “spec cars” with identical battery packs supplied to all teams. in which the teams can only vary certain components. Presently, those are the rear suspension, electrical motor, gearbox, differential, and most importantly, the control logic.
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
(7) Future seasons are planned to give the teams more and more leeway to switch extra components.
(8) The circuits are brief, taut, and very competitive, so they can be run in the center of the world’s major cities. (No emissions and sounds that don’t deafen spectators and teams.)
(9) The races aren’t silent: spectators hear lots of motor and electronics whine, there’s tire noise you can’t hear in regular racing, and the clattering as the cars go over the rattle strips on the insides of chicanes is remarkably demonstrable.
(Ten) Each driver has on his steering wheel ten buttons, six paddles, several rotary knobs, and a display screen he can scroll through, in addition to headsets in which the team tells him how to adjust the car’s speed, regeneration, and other settings.
(11) While it has many of the trappings of an F1 race, including numerous VIP areas with copious champagne, expensive wristwatches, and as much French, German, and Chinese as English, Formula E remains—at the moment—the red-headed stepchild against its captivating older sibling.
We’ll have more on what the race series means in coming days.
Audi, BMW, and Jaguar provided transportation, meals, and hospitality to enable High Gear Media to bring you this first-person report.
11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racing
11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racing
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
We’ve just spent a packed, very hot weekend at the Fresh York City ePrix, the very first time the FIA Formula E electric-car racing series has come to the country’s media capital.
It was our very first Formula E race, and like many who go after electrified cars, we learned a lot.
More than that, we got a better sense of why this racing series is significant, and what it means for the future of electrical cars.
Very first, however, a primer on what the series is and how it works seems indicated—because these were things that were all somewhat fresh to us.
There was a lot to take in, and we determined to do it in the form of a numbered list.
The very first lesson will likely be the one that surprises racing fans the most.
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
(1) This is real racing, as many racing journalists and fans have discovered to their surprise once they’ve actually attended a race.
(Two) The open-wheel single-seat cars toughly resemble those in the Formula one Grand Prix series, much larger and infinitely more profitable, that’s also run by the FIA.
(Trio) Formula E is a truly global race series, and China is a big part of it. The Fresh York City ePrix we just attended was the second-to-last race in the series; it wraps up in Montreal in two weeks.
(Four) The field is limited to ten teams, which are largely European and Chinese, both startups (Faraday Future, Nio) and established makers (Audi, BMW, Renault). No U.S. or Japanese makers take part.
(Five) As in other series, the cars are often built and teams are run by third-party operators whose foot business is building race cars and rivaling in them.
(6) Unlike most other series, these are “spec cars” with identical battery packs supplied to all teams. in which the teams can only vary certain components. Presently, those are the rear suspension, electrified motor, gearbox, differential, and most importantly, the control logic.
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
(7) Future seasons are planned to give the teams more and more leeway to switch extra components.
(8) The circuits are brief, taut, and very competitive, so they can be run in the center of the world’s major cities. (No emissions and sounds that don’t deafen spectators and teams.)
(9) The races aren’t silent: spectators hear lots of motor and electronics whine, there’s tire noise you can’t hear in regular racing, and the clattering as the cars go over the rattle strips on the insides of chicanes is remarkably visible.
(Ten) Each driver has on his steering wheel ten buttons, six paddles, several rotary knobs, and a display screen he can scroll through, in addition to headsets in which the team tells him how to adjust the car’s speed, regeneration, and other settings.
(11) While it has many of the trappings of an F1 race, including numerous VIP areas with copious champagne, expensive wristwatches, and as much French, German, and Chinese as English, Formula E remains—at the moment—the red-headed stepchild against its fascinating older sibling.
We’ll have more on what the race series means in coming days.
Audi, BMW, and Jaguar provided transportation, meals, and hospitality to enable High Gear Media to bring you this first-person report.
11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racing
11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racing
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
We’ve just spent a packed, very hot weekend at the Fresh York City ePrix, the very first time the FIA Formula E electric-car racing series has come to the country’s media capital.
It was our very first Formula E race, and like many who go after electrical cars, we learned a lot.
More than that, we got a better sense of why this racing series is significant, and what it means for the future of electrical cars.
Very first, however, a primer on what the series is and how it works seems indicated—because these were things that were all somewhat fresh to us.
There was a lot to take in, and we determined to do it in the form of a numbered list.
The very first lesson will likely be the one that surprises racing fans the most.
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
(1) This is real racing, as many racing journalists and fans have discovered to their surprise once they’ve actually attended a race.
(Two) The open-wheel single-seat cars toughly resemble those in the Formula one Grand Prix series, much larger and infinitely more profitable, that’s also run by the FIA.
(Three) Formula E is a truly global race series, and China is a big part of it. The Fresh York City ePrix we just attended was the second-to-last race in the series; it wraps up in Montreal in two weeks.
(Four) The field is limited to ten teams, which are largely European and Chinese, both startups (Faraday Future, Nio) and established makers (Audi, BMW, Renault). No U.S. or Japanese makers take part.
(Five) As in other series, the cars are often built and teams are run by third-party operators whose foot business is building race cars and rivaling in them.
(6) Unlike most other series, these are “spec cars” with identical battery packs supplied to all teams. in which the teams can only vary certain components. Presently, those are the rear suspension, electrified motor, gearbox, differential, and most importantly, the control logic.
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
(7) Future seasons are planned to give the teams more and more leeway to switch extra components.
(8) The circuits are brief, taut, and very competitive, so they can be run in the center of the world’s major cities. (No emissions and sounds that don’t deafen spectators and teams.)
(9) The races aren’t silent: spectators hear lots of motor and electronics whine, there’s tire noise you can’t hear in regular racing, and the clattering as the cars go over the rattle strips on the insides of chicanes is remarkably visible.
(Ten) Each driver has on his steering wheel ten buttons, six paddles, several rotary knobs, and a display screen he can scroll through, in addition to headsets in which the team tells him how to adjust the car’s speed, regeneration, and other settings.
(11) While it has many of the trappings of an F1 race, including numerous VIP areas with copious champagne, expensive wristwatches, and as much French, German, and Chinese as English, Formula E remains—at the moment—the red-headed stepchild against its charming older sibling.
We’ll have more on what the race series means in coming days.
Audi, BMW, and Jaguar provided transportation, meals, and hospitality to enable High Gear Media to bring you this first-person report.
11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racing
11 things you need to know about Formula E electric-car racing
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
We’ve just spent a packed, very hot weekend at the Fresh York City ePrix, the very first time the FIA Formula E electric-car racing series has come to the country’s media capital.
It was our very first Formula E race, and like many who go after electrical cars, we learned a lot.
More than that, we got a better sense of why this racing series is significant, and what it means for the future of electrical cars.
Very first, however, a primer on what the series is and how it works seems indicated—because these were things that were all somewhat fresh to us.
There was a lot to take in, and we determined to do it in the form of a numbered list.
The very first lesson will likely be the one that surprises racing fans the most.
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
(1) This is real racing, as many racing journalists and fans have discovered to their surprise once they’ve actually attended a race.
(Two) The open-wheel single-seat cars harshly resemble those in the Formula one Grand Prix series, much larger and infinitely more profitable, that’s also run by the FIA.
(Three) Formula E is a truly global race series, and China is a big part of it. The Fresh York City ePrix we just attended was the second-to-last race in the series; it wraps up in Montreal in two weeks.
(Four) The field is limited to ten teams, which are largely European and Chinese, both startups (Faraday Future, Nio) and established makers (Audi, BMW, Renault). No U.S. or Japanese makers take part.
(Five) As in other series, the cars are often built and teams are run by third-party operators whose foot business is building race cars and contesting in them.
(6) Unlike most other series, these are “spec cars” with identical battery packs supplied to all teams. in which the teams can only vary certain components. Presently, those are the rear suspension, electrified motor, gearbox, differential, and most importantly, the control logic.
Fresh York City ePrix FIA Formula E electric-car race, Crimson Hook, Brooklyn, July 2017
(7) Future seasons are planned to give the teams more and more leeway to switch extra components.
(8) The circuits are brief, taut, and very competitive, so they can be run in the center of the world’s major cities. (No emissions and sounds that don’t deafen spectators and teams.)
(9) The races aren’t silent: spectators hear lots of motor and electronics whine, there’s tire noise you can’t hear in regular racing, and the clattering as the cars go over the rattle strips on the insides of chicanes is remarkably visible.
(Ten) Each driver has on his steering wheel ten buttons, six paddles, several rotary knobs, and a display screen he can scroll through, in addition to headsets in which the team tells him how to adjust the car’s speed, regeneration, and other settings.
(11) While it has many of the trappings of an F1 race, including numerous VIP areas with copious champagne, expensive wristwatches, and as much French, German, and Chinese as English, Formula E remains—at the moment—the red-headed stepchild against its charming older sibling.
We’ll have more on what the race series means in coming days.
Audi, BMW, and Jaguar provided transportation, meals, and hospitality to enable High Gear Media to bring you this first-person report.