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Formula E: Global Electric Car Series to Launch in 2014

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markwj

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Apr 10, 2011
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Global electric car series to launch in 2014 - chicagotribune.com

LONDON (Reuters) - A new 'Formula E' global series of city centre electric car races will start in 2014 after motor sport's governing body licensed the commercial rights to a Hong Kong-based consortium. Proposed locations worldwide include Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing as well as Mumbai, Sydney, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Mexico City, Miami and Los Angeles.

Races will be an hour in duration but because the batteries will last only 15-20 minutes, there will be two pitstops scheduled with drivers having to change cars.

Hmmm...
 
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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
p014hbcr.jpg

But, as with many electric cars, the batteries are the crux. Although the cars will use high performance lithium batteries, they will not be able to hold enough charge for an entire 60-minute race. “With batteries the things you are playing with are the amount of torque that you generate, versus the range that you have, versus the weight of the battery,” says Peter Van Manen.

To increase the performance of the battery and to keep the weight down, the engineers had to compromise on range. And, as recharging during a pit-stop is currently impractical, races will feature what some consider a radical – even controversial – move: swapping cars mid-race. Formula E made the decision to introduce this rule after it was deemed impractical to swap the batteries during a pit stop. It also could not be done in a way that met safety requirements.

As a result, Formula E will feature pit-stops, where, instead of mechanics racing to get everything done, the driver will have to race from one car to another. “It will be kind of fun actually,” says Peter Van Manen.
But Formula E officials believe that future developments in battery and charging technology will eventually cut out the need for car swaps. For example, cars could be recharged as they race with variations on an inductive charge system or charging coils buried directly in the road.

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:

 
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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.
 
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.
 
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

Smog-shrouded Beijing, closely followed by Hong Kong, is upping its game in the pollution fight - by hosting the first- ever electric car race.
That is according to a provisional 2014-15 Formula "E" Championship calendar, which also reveals that our very own SAR is among the pit stops.

Starting in the capital next September 20, the inaugural series will take in 10 city center events across four continents. Among those will be Hong Kong, Monte Carlo and Punta del Este, Uruguay, replacing original choices Bangkok, Rome and Rio de Janeiro.

After flag-off in Beijing, the championship will take in Malaysia's Putrajaya on October 18 before hitting town on November 8. The race wraps up in London on June 27, 2015
 
After reaching the Economist article, I wonder if Tesla's technology could be adapted for Formula E?

Could Formula E ever rival Formula 1? 40 SRT-01Es in all are being built by Spark Racing Technologies, a French firm, in collaboration with Renault and a number of other motorsports companies, including McLaren, Michelin and Williams. With present battery technology the cars will run out of juice after about 25 minutes in a race that is supposed to last around an hour. -
The Economist explains: Could Formula E ever rival Formula 1? | The Economist