Formula E unveils a new electric race car for next season

The all-electric racing series has gone for a bold look.

Read the whole story

 

[lurch1989]

I do wonder how many more seasons this series has. The crouds are never that big and the racing is somewhat lacklustre.

I do wish they could get the batteries to last the entire race based on a set capacity. It'd hopefully then drive teams to design the most powerful but efficient motor. Currently
Currentle series seems to be artificially limited by rules.

 

[S_T_R]

I'm not a fan of Formula 1, but I like (at least in principle) the idea of the ~100km races found in Formula E, as opposed the more typical ~300km F1 and the afternoon-long 500-600 mile races found in the big US series.

100km should take, what, 60-75 minutes from beginning fluff to end fluff?

 

[Stormicles]

I hope it takes off. A lot of technological advancements have come from the track. Would be great if this was eventually expanded to all manufacturers so they can battle it out and advance the environmentally friendlier technologies.

plus that car looks cool

 

[swarmster]

I'm guessing they're still doing car-swaps when the batteries run low? Maybe if they don't want to enable battery swapping they could look into integrating some industrial-strength inductive chargers into the racetracks?

Here's a mockup I've been working on:

 

[Bongle]

I'm guessing they did it for cost control and competitiveness, but I think moving battery-development-freedom back was a huuuge mistake.

Motors and gearboxes (this season's upgrades) are more or less a solved engineering problem, so it's not that exciting to see a team optimize that. But if a team takes a flyer on some barely-out-of-the-lab battery tech to try for an advantage, that's pretty fun.

 

[wally626]

My formula would be the car has to fit in a box of a certain size, weight at least X and less than Y go Z km. The would have to meet a variety of safety inspections to certify the driver and the battery pack has sufficient protection. The teams can use any aero and electric power systems they want. The series can also have high amperage changing units available. So if the car cannot make it on one charge they can do a fast re-charge. Lots of strategy looking at battery capacity versus speed and distance. Make the distance such that a typical car can do it in 2 hours. I know a lot of the formula is to save money by not having the teams try and get the most optimum item in each category, but a free-for-all is going to result in much more advancement of electric cars.

 

[BlackHex]

This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

 

[nehinks]

I saw Qualcomm on the pictured car and immediately started wondering what sort of QC standard they could come up with for cars. It's too bad that's not in the rules.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

I'm guessing they did it for cost control and competitiveness, but I think moving battery-development-freedom back was a huuuge mistake.

Motors and gearboxes (this season's upgrades) are more or less a solved engineering problem, so it's not that exciting to see a team optimize that. But if a team takes a flyer on some barely-out-of-the-lab battery tech to try for an advantage, that's pretty fun.

I think everyone realized that each team spending money to develop batteries in parallel wouldn't be as efficient as a pooled effort by the series. Remember, development budgets in Formula E are probably a tenth (if that) of F1.

 

[BJury]

I'd love this to succeed, and I'd happily watch it if I could get it in HD. (ITV4 is simply terrible in SD and HD isn't available via FreeView.)

However they do really really really need to get rid of the 'FanBoost'. Its simply the worse idea ever, and detracts from the racing as it turns it into a farce. Would you want to see a 100m race where someone has a half second start? Or a weekend premiere league fixture list where one team has a goal advantage?

 

[TheOldChevy]

BJury[/url]":2dipthd9]I'd love this to succeed, and I'd happily watch it if I could get it in HD. (ITV4 is simply terrible in SD and HD isn't available via FreeView.)

However they do really really really need to get rid of the 'FanBoost'. Its simply the worse idea ever, and detracts from the racing as it turns it into a farce. Would you want to see a 100m race where someone has a half second start? Or a weekend premiere league fixture list where one team has a goal advantage?

I fully agree with you. Races are quite fun. They are a bit silent on the motor side, but it allows for the tires to sound which is fine too.

But the FanBoost is really odd and should be removed.

 

[Excors]

Dr Gitlin[/url]":20tp20x3]
I think everyone realized that each team spending money to develop batteries in parallel wouldn't be as efficient as a pooled effort by the series. Remember, development budgets in Formula E are probably a tenth (if that) of F1.

Some random online sources suggest you're off by an order of magnitude: FE teams had a budget cap of a few million dollars per year, while the top F1 teams spent a few hundred million. Lewis Hamilton's salary alone could pay for the entire Formula E grid.

 

[Maury Markowitz]

" I don’t think it will make too big of an impact on aero which isn’t in the ethos of this championship"

Wait, what?

So apparently the ethos of this championship is:

"to make the car look more aggressive"



If you want a design competition, have a design competition.

 

[Bongle]

Dr Gitlin[/url]":gm0yea13]

I'm guessing they did it for cost control and competitiveness, but I think moving battery-development-freedom back was a huuuge mistake.

Motors and gearboxes (this season's upgrades) are more or less a solved engineering problem, so it's not that exciting to see a team optimize that. But if a team takes a flyer on some barely-out-of-the-lab battery tech to try for an advantage, that's pretty fun.

I think everyone realized that each team spending money to develop batteries in parallel wouldn't be as efficient as a pooled effort by the series. Remember, development budgets in Formula E are probably a tenth (if that) of F1.

Yep, it's a chicken-and-egg problem. They don't get to have batteries be a competitive, independently-developed aspect of the series because the money's not there. But the viewership isn't there because the cars are slow* and short-ranged, and the differentiation from car to car is pretty much nonexistent. It's hard to get care about a team or driver when nobody can really do anything innovative/crazy to try and get an edge.

*Seriously, watch how long they have to lift and coast at the end of a straight. Sometimes they're coasting for 3-4 seconds before they hit the brakes.

I still like F-E and hope it continues providing me off-F1-season racing to watch, but I so wish the batteries were more open-season.

 

[twiFight]

Maury Markowitz[/url]":3jrvo4g9]" I don’t think it will make too big of an impact on aero which isn’t in the ethos of this championship"
So apparently the ethos of this championship is:
"to make the car look more aggressive"

Of course not. The ethos is to advance the field of electric driven cars and (eventually) all the technology that is needed to accomplish that (batteries, controllers, electric motors, etc.). Which in turn should, and will, help the consumer market progress by giving them new and improved tech to work with.

Aero development can be done in pretty much any racing class and will inherently be more suited for the 'big money' classes, where they have the budget for wind tunnel testing and other tools that money can buy.

 

[dizdizzie]

BlackHex[/url]":v0lvqumk]This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

It's intentional that there is no aero development at all. It's all about electric drive train and batteries. They want to see innovation there and also without any aero the series is cheaper, so more teams can enter and thinker with electric car.

 

[Althornin]

dizdizzie[/url]":1qis3959]

BlackHex[/url]":1qis3959]This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

It's intentional that there is no aero development at all. It's all about electric drive train and batteries.

Except that it isn't about batteries, because that isn't something they can change. And sadly, it is the area that needs the most work.

 

[dizdizzie]

Althornin[/url]":2i5wb1ia]

dizdizzie[/url]":2i5wb1ia]

BlackHex[/url]":2i5wb1ia]This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

It's intentional that there is no aero development at all. It's all about electric drive train and batteries.

Except that it isn't about batteries, because that isn't something they can change. And sadly, it is the area that needs the most work.

They are going to open development there. Aero development is counter-productive in this series where FIA wants to see innovation in electric driver train.

 

[Althornin]

dizdizzie[/url]":1cjqi0up]

Althornin[/url]":1cjqi0up]

dizdizzie[/url]":1cjqi0up]

BlackHex[/url]":1cjqi0up]This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

It's intentional that there is no aero development at all. It's all about electric drive train and batteries.

Except that it isn't about batteries, because that isn't something they can change. And sadly, it is the area that needs the most work.

They are going to open development there. Aero development is counter-productive in this series where FIA wants to see innovation in electric driver train.

I couldn't agree more that aero work is wasted here. But batteries are not yet open for development, and that is a disappointment, and is a direct counter to your previous statement.

 

[passivesmoking]

Eh, it's boring as balls, I don't see it doing any good in electric drive-train development (Motors and the like are already probably the most thermodynamically efficient devices the human race will ever build), and any work on power storage is stymied (No battery development, don't even think about fuel cells).

Also the sport's first champion is an ex F1 cheat with no business in any kind of racing car.

 

[Thorzdad]

lurch1989[/url]":2urx7gt0] I do wish they could get the batteries to last the entire race based on a set capacity. It'd hopefully then drive teams to design the most powerful but efficient motor. Currently
Currentle series seems to be artificially limited by rules.

I would love to see car companies use FE as a testbed for things like fast charging and easily-swapped batteries. That could help make FE more like normal racing (actual pit stops for swapping batteries or fast charge a battery) instead of the silliness of jumping into a second car halfway through a race.

 

[buback]

What about an enclosed cockpit? F1 drivers don't want to be stuck in a car in case of a fiery crash, but there is something to be said about not getting hit by debris, too.

at least F1 has the halo now.

 

[Uxorious]

BlackHex[/url]":3nwsi5ms]This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

At this early stage of development, what is the argument for any restrictions (other than safety related requirements)?

Restrictions arose in conventional racing along three fronts: safety, economics and competition. Safety became an issue when cars started to exceed 200mph on a regular basis, outpacing the ability of aerodynamics and safety systems to keep the cars on the ground and the drivers alive in an accident.

Economics and competition are more highly intertwined, with standardized engines, fuel, power and aerodynamic restrictions designed to ensure a competitive race with as many lead changes and successful teams as possible.

EV racing hasn't reached the point where most common avenues for increasing performance are exhausted, nor is it even the case that all of the desirable technology even exists. It seems that regulation in the context of a new and quickly evolving industry does more harm to innovation and rapid advancement than the limited benefit it provides.

What is the point of restricting battery capacity? If some team can come up with a revolutionary battery technology that doubles the capacity while keeping mass in check, I would like to see that team dominate Formula E and receive the rewards of their efforts in the form of publicity, sponsorship and added investment until they are eclipsed by the team that develops a much more efficient motor or power management system.

Formula 1 racing of today is boring in comparison to when it was in its infancy, when no two cars on the grid looked alike and manufacturers and teams were created and disbanded on a yearly basis as technology advanced. I am definitely not advocating for any lack of regulation that leads to an unsafe environment for drivers, workers or fans, as occurred during the first 50+ years of Formula 1 racing, but would like to see every possible idea for improving range and performance of EV racing available in Formula E, which should rapidly sort out winners and losers without the crutch of regulation.

 

[Askduds]

Economics answers your question there.

Plus there's no reason to have chassis development, it simply isn't the point.

 

[maxwell]

Althornin[/url]":ivo2sd2s]

dizdizzie[/url]":ivo2sd2s]

Althornin[/url]":ivo2sd2s]

dizdizzie[/url]":ivo2sd2s]

BlackHex[/url]":ivo2sd2s]This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

It's intentional that there is no aero development at all. It's all about electric drive train and batteries.

Except that it isn't about batteries, because that isn't something they can change. And sadly, it is the area that needs the most work.

They are going to open development there. Aero development is counter-productive in this series where FIA wants to see innovation in electric driver train.

I couldn't agree more that aero work is wasted here. But batteries are not yet open for development, and that is a disappointment, and is a direct counter to your previous statement.

I don't see a scenario where a race team with 1M budget out invents the combined efforts of LG, Panasonic and Sanyo (the 3 big battery providers).

That's like letting F1 create their own fuel mixes again, which was crazy dangerous. Today F1 is all on standard (I think its Euro 95?) fuel.

I *do* see a small team working on motor-generator units, power inverters, and gearboxes.[/]. Playing with ratios, wirings, load curves shift points etc to get the most out of their batteries.

 

[Moodyz]

Couldn't get into this series when I first watched it. I'm all for the development of electric power - not because it saves trees, but because I believe it'll eventually surpass anything we've achieved with the ICE - but the lack of noise, the dull racing, and that gimmicky fanboost thing where drivers had to get "fans" to vote for them in order to get more power (or something like that, was so retarded I can't even remember anymore) all added up to the racing equivalent of dishwater..... and I thought F1 was bad enough.

Edit:
Oh please, can this get any more sickening?;
http://motorsport.clickon.co/2016/07/22 ... tion-fans/

 

[Bongle]

maxwell[/url]":1m69dss8]

Althornin[/url]":1m69dss8]

dizdizzie[/url]":1m69dss8]

Althornin[/url]":1m69dss8]

dizdizzie[/url]":1m69dss8]

BlackHex[/url]":1m69dss8]This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

It's intentional that there is no aero development at all. It's all about electric drive train and batteries.

Except that it isn't about batteries, because that isn't something they can change. And sadly, it is the area that needs the most work.

They are going to open development there. Aero development is counter-productive in this series where FIA wants to see innovation in electric driver train.

I couldn't agree more that aero work is wasted here. But batteries are not yet open for development, and that is a disappointment, and is a direct counter to your previous statement.

I don't see a scenario where a race team with 1M budget out invents the combined efforts of LG, Panasonic and Sanyo (the 3 big battery providers).

That's like letting F1 create their own fuel mixes again, which was crazy dangerous. Today F1 is all on standard (I think its Euro 95?) fuel.

I *do* see a small team working on motor-generator units, power inverters, and gearboxes.[/]. Playing with ratios, wirings, load curves shift points etc to get the most out of their batteries.

It's unlikely the teams would actually be working on battery chemistry directly, but they could definitely be on the prowl for companies that are currently selling too-expensive-for-mass-consumption technologies. "Hey LG! Do you have a chemistry that's currently suboptimal in some way for consumer use, but has more energy density? Do you want us to buy a bunch of units to help you get some testing and advertising done?"

 

[Jazzism]

When you think of it, the gas tank and battery are both the same. They're the containment for the power generation of the car/engine(s).

Every pot stop they refill on power-gas. This ecar should have quick release batteries and replace with filled/juiced up batteries. Have that as part of the pit stop and they'll be right on par with any other race series.

 

[Jazzism]

Bongle[/url]":2r81cdcs]

Dr Gitlin[/url]":2r81cdcs]

I'm guessing they did it for cost control and competitiveness, but I think moving battery-development-freedom back was a huuuge mistake.

Motors and gearboxes (this season's upgrades) are more or less a solved engineering problem, so it's not that exciting to see a team optimize that. But if a team takes a flyer on some barely-out-of-the-lab battery tech to try for an advantage, that's pretty fun.

I think everyone realized that each team spending money to develop batteries in parallel wouldn't be as efficient as a pooled effort by the series. Remember, development budgets in Formula E are probably a tenth (if that) of F1.

Yep, it's a chicken-and-egg problem. They don't get to have batteries be a competitive, independently-developed aspect of the series because the money's not there. But the viewership isn't there because the cars are slow* and short-ranged, and the differentiation from car to car is pretty much nonexistent. It's hard to get care about a team or driver when nobody can really do anything innovative/crazy to try and get an edge.

*Seriously, watch how long they have to lift and coast at the end of a straight. Sometimes they're coasting for 3-4 seconds before they hit the brakes.

I still like F-E and hope it continues providing me off-F1-season racing to watch, but I so wish the batteries were more open-season.

How about making them replaceable at pit stops like gas cars filling up their tanks. Same concept.

 

[justcauseisjustthat]

I don't see a scenario where a race team with 1M budget out invents the combined efforts of LG, Panasonic and Sanyo (the 3 big battery providers).

Because small companies are never the ones that innovate, it's always the massive companies that have the major breakthroughs... Hmmm, maybe not.

 

[Drethon]

S_T_R[/url]":3pznmlgl]I'm not a fan of Formula 1, but I like (at least in principle) the idea of the ~100km races found in Formula E, as opposed the more typical ~300km F1 and the afternoon-long 500-600 mile races found in the big US series.

100km should take, what, 60-75 minutes from beginning fluff to end fluff?

From a fan perspective a lot of fans agree that shorter races are better. A lot of NASCAR fans are screaming for paired down races or heat races (~half an hour race) like the lower series are doing before the main.

The original point of racing, advancing technology, is better served by longer races. I think the electric car races should become longer and longer when technology begins to support it. Eventually maybe the full electric cars competing alongside ICE cars.

 

[icwhatudidthere]

For everyone moaning about batteries, FIA has put out a tender for season 5 (2018) for a battery that lasts the entire race. It's still gonna be a single supplier for the battery but at least there's no more car swap.

http://fiaformulae.com/en/news/2016/mar ... ender.aspx

 

[icwhatudidthere]

Moodyz[/url]":2q22m232]Couldn't get into this series when I first watched it. I'm all for the development of electric power - not because it saves trees, but because I believe it'll eventually surpass anything we've achieved with the ICE - but the lack of noise, the dull racing, and that gimmicky fanboost thing where drivers had to get "fans" to vote for them in order to get more power (or something like that, was so retarded I can't even remember anymore) all added up to the racing equivalent of dishwater..... and I thought F1 was bad enough.

Edit:
Oh please, can this get any more sickening?;
http://motorsport.clickon.co/2016/07/22 ... tion-fans/

I think that link is meant as satire. At least I hope so!

 

[Moodyz]

icwhatudidthere[/url]":1sodh7f5]

Moodyz[/url]":1sodh7f5]Couldn't get into this series when I first watched it. I'm all for the development of electric power - not because it saves trees, but because I believe it'll eventually surpass anything we've achieved with the ICE - but the lack of noise, the dull racing, and that gimmicky fanboost thing where drivers had to get "fans" to vote for them in order to get more power (or something like that, was so retarded I can't even remember anymore) all added up to the racing equivalent of dishwater..... and I thought F1 was bad enough.

Edit:
Oh please, can this get any more sickening?;
http://motorsport.clickon.co/2016/07/22 ... tion-fans/

I think that link is meant as satire. At least I hope so!

You're probably right. Sorry. In my defense, it's not out of the ordinary to assume the organizers would actually want nonsense like that. The fanboost shit is practically on the same level anyway.

 

[dizdizzie]

Althornin[/url]":3aq55kji]

dizdizzie[/url]":3aq55kji]

Althornin[/url]":3aq55kji]

dizdizzie[/url]":3aq55kji]

BlackHex[/url]":3aq55kji]This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

It's intentional that there is no aero development at all. It's all about electric drive train and batteries.

Except that it isn't about batteries, because that isn't something they can change. And sadly, it is the area that needs the most work.

They are going to open development there. Aero development is counter-productive in this series where FIA wants to see innovation in electric driver train.

I couldn't agree more that aero work is wasted here. But batteries are not yet open for development, and that is a disappointment, and is a direct counter to your previous statement.

That will still eventually happen. The point about aero is that such a development requires massive investment. That would certainly limit number of possible entries. You know F1 has like 2 slots for teams that cannot be filled for years because nobody can afford it. FE is relatively cheap series and currently doesn't need massive audience or dozens of sponsors to be sustainable.

 

[azazel1024]

maxwell[/url]"h5mp9wi]

Althornin[/url]"h5mp9wi]

dizdizzie[/url]"h5mp9wi]

Althornin[/url]"h5mp9wi]

dizdizzie[/url]"h5mp9wi]

BlackHex[/url]"h5mp9wi]This leaves me cold. I'm all for an electric series but Formula E has such a restricted rule set its no better than F1. And we already have F1.
The should just open it up, define a bounding box and max battery capacity, then let the teams have at it. Best innovation / driver package wins. Would definitely be more interesting to follow as all the different designs competed.

It's intentional that there is no aero development at all. It's all about electric drive train and batteries.

Except that it isn't about batteries, because that isn't something they can change. And sadly, it is the area that needs the most work.

They are going to open development there. Aero development is counter-productive in this series where FIA wants to see innovation in electric driver train.

I couldn't agree more that aero work is wasted here. But batteries are not yet open for development, and that is a disappointment, and is a direct counter to your previous statement.

I don't see a scenario where a race team with 1M budget out invents the combined efforts of LG, Panasonic and Sanyo (the 3 big battery providers).

That's like letting F1 create their own fuel mixes again, which was crazy dangerous. Today F1 is all on standard (I think its Euro 95?) fuel.

I *do* see a small team working on motor-generator units, power inverters, and gearboxes.[/]. Playing with ratios, wirings, load curves shift points etc to get the most out of their batteries.

That doesn't mean they don't figure something out with packaging that is innovative. Maybe they come up with a way to package the batteries that allows them to squeeze in more capacity without additional weight?

It isn't simply about a new chemistry. Maybe they decide to go halfsies and they use current chemistries, but combine that with something like an FES generator for storing deceleration energy.

 

[geologistoutwest]

The real shame about standardized batteries (in addition to the fact that they're the tech with the most room to advance and benefit to society from that advance) is that there are so many fronts batteries can be optimized on.

Your gasoline engine pretty much has power density, energy efficiency, torque and horsepower curves.... that's about it*.

Batteries? You've got charging speed, power density (by mass), energy density (by mass), volumetric power/energy density, charging efficiency, discharging efficiency, temperature range, rate of degradation, and so on.

Because there are so many factors, battery power opens up lots of options for how to win. Maybe you maximize battery efficiency to reduce pit stops - or maybe you maximize energy density to save weight and lead to the same efficiency and fewer pit stops. Or maybe you maximize charging capability, because you realize the energy lost to friction brakes could get you another few laps before you pit. Maybe you maximize power, so you can break away from the pack when you need to. Maybe you maximize volumetric density, temperature range, and charging/discharging efficiency so that you can minimize cooling needs and thus maximize packaging flexibility? Maybe, if the rules are set up right, you go for battery chemistries that advance a lot of the above at the price of longevity, and win early in the season and lose towards the end, or maybe you set up for long lifespan and get to have more allowable capacity because you only use two batteries for the whole season.

The list goes on. The point is, with well-designed rules, you could enable lots of different approaches to the race, creating a dynamic, interesting event that helps push the technology. Advancing a different part of the tech implies a different race strategy, and thus spectator interest and fun, in a way that just doesn't exist for gasoline power these days.

*OK, I'm not being fair to ICEs- do you get your power by displacement, revs, turbocharging? But these factors are throughly explored and familiar - the design latitude, and the gains possible, are nothing compared to what you see with batteries

 

[A.Felix]

lurch1989[/url]":167w0qrg]I do wonder how many more seasons this series has. The crouds are never that big and the racing is somewhat lacklustre.

I do wish they could get the batteries to last the entire race based on a set capacity. It'd hopefully then drive teams to design the most powerful but efficient motor. Currently
Currentle series seems to be artificially limited by rules.

I don't think the problem is in the motor, but in the battery. We already have electric motors well into the 90% efficiency (98% I think), and you'll never get 100% so there's not a lot of breaking ground engineering to do there. Not saying there's nothing, just there's nothing new. Maybe just adapt those engines to drive the wheels. Electrics also have instant torque and can spin very fast without a problem, so tuning around rpm, torque curve, and red zones is also needless. You get a flat torque graph from 0 to 15,000 rpm if you want.

Balancing the power vs battery draw may be something, but making it last longer on the same battery isn't very entertaining because if you have high efficiency the only way left is less draw, which means less power and a slower vehicle. Maybe motor weight vs power? I could see that helping. Formula E has to be taken fundamentally different from ICE races when it comes to innovation. It has the potential to be very exciting though, particularly at the exit of curves with the torque coming instantly for powerful acceleration.

 

[NetMage]

dizdizzie[/url]":dh0eyl45]
You know F1 has like 2 slots for teams that cannot be filled for years because nobody can afford it.

You know that isn't possible because Haas F1 is on its first season, right?