Mention electric cars and you think of slow moving, cumbersome machines that are unreliable as a means of city transport.

This is exactly the sort of image of electric cars that the sponsors of Formula E hope to change.

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Cars in the Inaugural Formula E Season

The electric cars driven in the introductory Formula E series reach speeds of 140mph, accelerating from 0 – 62mph in just 3 seconds. Under the hood, all ten teams had the Spark-Renault SRT_01E electric car model, made in collaboration with well-known motorsport companies McLaren, Williams and Dallara. The engines produce 200kW of power (roughly equivalent to 270 horsepower).

Former F1 driver Lucas di Grassi who test drove the Spark-Renault in early 2014, told reporters, “The torque is much more precise, so you have to be very precise on applying throttle.” In fact, the electric speed machines at Formula E looked so good that you are tempted to call them ‘batmobiles’.

The only shortcoming of these new generation electric cars is the battery. Since the current batteries have insufficient energy range to last the whole hour (the average duration of a Formula E race), the drivers have to per force change cars during the race. This means that each driver uses two cars to complete a race.

The Fanboost Feature

In another one of its kind feature, Formula E gives motor racing fans the power to influence the outcome of the races via ‘Fanboost’. The public votes to give three drivers a speed advantage. The winning drivers (of the public vote) are declared twenty minutes before the race ends. The winning drivers are given a 30kW (40 horsepower) boost, which can be used for five seconds at any point during the race.

Environmental-Friendly Motor Racing E Cars

Motor racing is not environment-friendly, but Formula E is ushering in a green revolution in the sport. During that one-hour, Formula E cars use 100 and 150 times lesser energy than Formula1 cars. These electric cars are quieter, producing a maximum of about 80 decibels, and sound nothing like their noisy fuel powered Formula1 counterparts (which produce sounds of up to 140 decibels). The Formula E series is an open competition and car-racing teams have gradually been given the freedom to innovate their electric-car technologies. This means that the cars in the upcoming seasons of Formula E will be even more energy efficient.

The Formula E organizers hope that over the next few years, the electric batteries would be improved enough to last the full race and that the growing popularity of the series will drive public demand for electric cars.
At a press conference at the finale of the first-ever Formula E battery-electric race series in Battersea Park in June 2015, Sir Richard Branson stated that ‘Formula E would overtake Formula One within four to five year’s’.