Plugged-In Racing: The FIA Formula E Championship

As the streets of Miami prepare to host the world’s first fully-electric racing championship in March, here’s a guide to the newly launched FIA Formula E Championship. Oh! Dicaprio just bought a team, so did Anand Mahindra.

When: September 2014 to June 2015. First race: Miami. Other cities on the cards: London, Beijing and Los Angeles.

Read FHM India in the digital libraryEvery issue, every shoot, on TCG Media.

The 2014/15 team line-up: 1) Venturi 2) Drayson Racing 3) China Racing 4) Andretti Autosport 5) Super Aguri 6) Mahindra Racing 7) Dragon Racing 8) Audi Sport ABT 9) e.dams 10) Virgin Racing

The racing gene All the cars in this FIA championship will run exclusively on electrical energy. The race has been conceptualised to assist in research and development of electric cars and hence, will be open to all manufacturers of electric cars who want to showcase their technology to world motorsport fans. However, the cars will have to be first approved by the FIA.

Event Format

The race will consist of 10 rounds that will take place on different street circuits around the globe. To reduce costs, the practice, qualifying and the final race will happen on the same day. There will be a one-hour practice session at every circuit. The qualifying round will be of four laps and the fastest racer will make it to the finals. However, for the qualifying rounds the drivers will be allowed to use only one car. Depending on the timings in the qualifying rounds, the drivers will get their positions for the final race. Though the engines will be restricted to power-saving mode 133kw/180bhp) the speed can be increased to maximum power (200kw/270bhp) by using the ‘Push-to-Pass’ boost system. During the final race, the driver will have to make two mandatory pit stops to change cars. Unless there’s a puncture, the teams will not be allowed to change tyres.

Who wins?

The winner will be decided on the basis of the season’s aggregate.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FORMULA E CAR

Spark-Renault SRT-01E is the first car to be approved by the FIA. The car with monocoque chassis is made from carbon fibre and aluminium.

Design: All the cars will have to be optimised to facilitate overtaking, tackle city roads, must be cost effective and comply with the FIA safety regulations.

Technology: While the car must showcase the latest technology, it should be a good mix of performance and cost effectiveness.

Safety: All the cars will have to undergo front, side, rear and steering column impact tests and should be fitted with front and rear roll hoop, impact structures, anti-intrusion survival cell protection panels, wheel retainer safety cables and an electronically controlled extinguisher system. The safety rules will be same as that of Formula One. Safety measures like carbon fibre front and rear impact structures, Diolen anti-intrusion side panels, cockpit head surround protection and wheel tethers will be some of the key safety pointers of the race. All the circuits will be constructed using approved crash structures and safety fences. Plus, there will be a dedicated medical team and an emergency crew.

Sound: Don’t worry, these cars will not be completely sound-free, infact you won’t miss the roar of Formula One cars. At top speed, these cars will produce the sound of approximately 80 decibels, which is 10 decibels more than the sound produced by average petrol cars. The cars will also be fitted with an artificial sound-producing device to alert the pit stop team about the incoming car.

Tyres: The 18-inch bespoke tyres will be able to last throughout an entire race event and are exclusive to the Formula E Racing. They are usable for both wet and dry conditions and every driver will be given three sets of tyres that will cover practice, the qualifier and the race.

RULES & REGULATIONS

Though the final set of rules and regulations are still being worked upon, here are some of the key highlights.

Cameras: The cars can be fitted with one or more cameras on the roll hoop, nose cone and driver shot positions.

Charging Though the cars can be charged in any manner prior to the event, in the pit stop they can be charged using only FIA approved chargers.

Drivers Two main drivers and two reserve.

Licence Right from the drivers to the officials, every one associated with the races must hold a licence with a minimum requirement of Grade B FIA International driver’s licences.

Specifications

Dimensions: Overall length 5000mm (max); overall width 1800mm (max); overall height 1250mm (max); track width 1300mm (min); ride height 75mm (max); overall weight (inc driver) 800kg (min). Batteries alone weigh 200kg.

Power: Max power (limited) 200kw, equivalent to 270bhp; race mode (power-saving) 133kw, equivalent to 180bhp; ‘Push-to-Pass’: 67kw.

Performance: Acceleration 0-100 km/h in 3 seconds; maximum speed 225 km/h.

From the January 2014 issue of FHM India.