Originally published on CleanTechnica.
While Formula One racing has been one of the core racing circuits for most of the last century, known for the whine of high-RPM engines, extremely high speeds, and the cutting-edge tech utilized, many readers of CleanTechnica know that a new day is dawning — the day of the electric car. With it comes an awesome new racing series. A white-knuckled, zero-emission, refreshingly hearing-friendly and instant-torque sport called Formula E.
Formula E has 3 core values that define it: Energy, Environment, and Entertainment, which work in tandem to move electric cars forward — both from a technological standpoint (with Formula E pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with electric motors and batteries) and also in serving as a platform to educate consumers as to just how much performance electric vehicles can pack in.
Formula E takes the familiar shape of a Formula One car and loads it up with batteries and instant-torque electric motors designed to boost up to top speed as fast as possible while also maximizing traction — a delicate balance that Tesla has demonstrated in its vehicles. With electric motors not being constrained with a hunk of moving mass (like an internal combustion engine has) and no delay in the input energy being converted to forward motion, Formula E racers boast a noticeably faster throttle response and, thus, more action packed into each race.
As we noted in November, Formula E is already more popular than F1 racing in certain cases, which shows just how interested the average race fan is in the torquey, high-adrenaline Formula E racing series. A new day is dawning, and it turns out that media consumers in this new age take their adrenaline straight up — with zero emissions — served with a side of cutting-edge electric racing tech that just might help save the planet. That’s right — the innovations and improvements developed for Formula E are rolled right back into concept and production electric cars for the masses.
This year, the circuit has been blasting around the globe for 5 months, with stops in Beijing, China; Putrajaya, Malaysia; Punta Del Este, Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and most recently, Mexico City, Mexico (just this past weekend, on March 12th). With barely 3 weeks to recover, the teams are headed north yet again. This time, to beautiful Long Beach, California, USA, which is nestled right on the beach in Southern California, perhaps the electric vehicle capital of the world.
CleanTechnica will be in Long Beach for the sixth run of the season, taking in all the sights and surrounding goodness at the event. Check out the schedule for Long Beach below and come down and join us if you’re in the area. (CleanTechnica will have several people there.)
