But on the 13th of this month, there were 10 Teams, each team had 2 drivers and 4 cars. The future plan is to have the races held in ten Cities and the track approximately 3 km long with races originally intended to run exclusively on street circuits in - Beijing, Putrajaya, Punta del Este, Buenos Aires, Long Beach, Miami, Monte Carlo, Berlin and London.
Later on it was decided that not all races will be on street circuits. The surface of normal streets are originally planned for normal speeds, race drivers usually find it bumpy and lacking grip and also will not be able to control the car as well as on F1 Circuit . Run-off areas in Street Circuits may be non-existent, which makes driving mistakes more expensive than in purpose-built circuits with wider run-off areas. But more public will be able to see the races.
- Chassis designed by Dallara,
- Electric motor developed by McLaren
- Battery system created by Williams F1 and
- Hewland five-speed gearbox.
- Michelin the official tyre supplier
In contrast the The Formula One regulations specify that cars must be constructed by the racing teams themselves, though the design and manufacturing can be outsourced. Next year onwards Formula E too would follow the similar rules.
Today it might sound unbelievable but in 5 years time the Formula E car could take on the Formula 1 car and even beat it. The motor in the Formulae E car is already very efficient at around 95% while the petrol Engine has an efficiency of 25%. It is obvious that the battery is the weakest link right now and it will improve in time.
But unlike in F1 where the advantages in aerodynamics, down forces, wing placement, engine design, exhaust placement, and of course the race fuel formula etc do not trickle down to the passenger cars in the Formula E the advantages of battery technology will get synchronized on to the passenger cars too.
Of my favorite race drivers, Narain Karthikeyan has also joined the Formula E Driver Club. This club will allow each member to experience the new fully-electric Spark-Renault SRT_01E Formula E car which recently made its public debut driving along the iconic Las Vegas Strip.
"Sustainability is the current buzzword in automotive technology, and its application in a gruelling motorsport environment like Formula E will definitely help at many different levels," said Karthikeyan. "On the racing front as well, the series is breaking new ground by taking the sport to the fans in an unprecedented way across the world."
He has had and continues to have much better popularity in India than any other F1 driver in the world.
Getting him and Karun Chandok on the Team would have been great!
Anand Mahindra, Chairman & MD of Mahindra Group said - "We strongly believe that Formula E can provide an excellent global showcase for our electric vehicle technology."
This is promising for India. As Mahindra firmly believes in electric vehicle technology, while no Indian auto maker have done anything in the EV industry. Its important that groups like Mahindra to support the industry and keep innovating.
This and the investment inMahindra Reva clearly show that Mahindra are in this for the long term. That should only be good news for the EV industry in India.
Move over Formula 1, the new kid on the block is here!