By Justin Hyde
Formula E: Auto Racings Quiet Future

At 3:30 a.m. Saturday, the future of auto racing will flicker to life in Beijing with an electric whirr, as the 20 drivers in the inaugural Formula E race take to a 2.14-mile street circuit. The Formula E series represents a huge investment by several technology firms aiming to revitalize motorsports — but first, it may need to explain to the global race fans it wants to attract why it's needed at all.
The series was spawned by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the world's largest motorsport governing body, with the goal of raising the profile of electric vehicles and luring younger fans into the sport — a challenge facing every variety of racing from Formula 1 to NASCAR. Formula E chief executive Alejandro Agag told the Financial Times that Formula E was "a child of F1," meant to complement the series, not compete with it. Which sounds reasonable, because previous attempts at electric-powered racing outside of slot cars and go-karts have not produced compelling or popular events.
For the inaugural season, Formula E has drawn a collection of ex-F1 backfield regulars and sports-car veterans, with just one — Jarno Trulli — having ever won an F1 race. While there are no Americans at the wheel as of now, two of the teams are IndyCar veterans, Dragon Racing and Andretti Autosport.
The one-seat electric racers built by Renault and Spark Racing Technology for the series are only the beginning of Formula E's thirst for innovation. Start with FanBoost, a social media campaign that asks people to vote for their favorite drivers; the top three vote-getters win a 5-second power boost of 90 hp — taking their cars from 180 hp to 270 hp — that can be deployed anywhere in the race. (As of this writing, the fan voting site was offline.)


Because the cars' battery packs are so large at 200 kWh, and recharging times would take ages, racers will have one pit stop to jump from one car into a freshly charged duplicate, requiring a new kind of pit strategy.


Series organizers have also discussed using live data from races to allow fans online in racing simulators and video games to compete virtually with drivers on the track, although such a setup won't be available for Beijing.
And then there's the sound. In a season where Formula 1 fans were upset by the diminished thunder of the new turbo-hybrid V-6s, fans in Beijing likely won't need ear protection of any sort against what may sound like drill practice at dental college. To offset that lack of sensory impact, Formula E will need to show over its 10-event schedule this year that it can produce compelling racing that highlights the driver's talents and personalities. Simply running on electrons rather than hydrocarbons won't be enough.

 

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