What does the word Formula bring to your mind? Formula 1, Formula 2, or even Formula 3 series, right? However, there is one more series that most racing enthusiasts do not take into account, and we will remember it much more in the future than the series mentioned above. The name of this series is Formula E! It has got electric racing vehicles and hosts different rules and increases its popularity every year. It also increases our hopes for the future. Formula-E, which is a reflection of zero emissions and green world trends in motorsports, seems to replace the current racing series in the coming years. Why should we turn to fossil fuels when we can do motorsports with clean energy?
The Birth of the Championship
Unaware of what was going to happen at a restaurant in Paris at the end of winter in 2011, the usual dinner service continued. However, some of the guests at the restaurant that evening were about to witness the birth of ideas that would perhaps drive the world of motorsport in a different direction. FIA President Jean Todt shared a revolutionary idea in the world of motorsport with politicians Alejandro Agag, Antonio Tajani and Italian actor Teo Teocoli, who were next to him at a dinner table. The idea was to create a motorsport championship using electric racing vehicles. Tajani and Agag, who supported this idea, provided concrete assistance to Jean Todt in realizing this idea. After about 8 years of infrastructure and media preparation, the FIA officially awarded Formula E races the title of the world championship in the last month of 2019. Thus, the Formula E series became the first single-driver racing series to receive the world championship title after Formula 1. At the same time, the world of motorsport has made a very important step towards a greener and cleaner world.
Basic Rules
Although Formula E does not have different rules that can be considered revolutionary, it has a few features that we are not used to. Integration of these rules in harmony with electrical energy is the FIA's greatest contribution to a clean future in motorsport.
Evolution of Vehicles
Two different vehicle types have been featured in the Formula-E series so far. Third generation new vehicles are on the road and are planned to be on the tracks in 2022. These cars had advantages and disadvantages compared to themselves and their periods. Let's see what made them perfect or imperfect.
1.) Spark-Renault SRT 01E
The starting vehicle of the series, and perhaps the vehicle that started an era, was the SRT-01E vehicle developed by Spark Racing Technology. For the first four seasons, Formula-E management had 42 in garages. Vehicles with a power of 190 kW (250 HP) could accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 3 seconds and could speed up to 225 km/h. Although the SRT-01Es used the common electric motor produced by McLaren in the first two seasons, Formula-E management allowed the manufacturer teams to build their own engines in the following two seasons. In addition, while this rule was applied to critical parts such as the cooling system and gearbox, no modifications to the chassis or batteries were allowed. This situation slowed the development of the car in terms of battery and caused drivers to make a pit-stop and change vehicles in every race due to the short battery life.
2.) Spark SRT 05e (Gen2)
Second generation vehicles, also called "Gen2", were introduced to the public just before the 2018 season. SRT 05e, which has many innovations in terms of both design and technology compared to the previous generation, attracted attention as a much more futuristic and modern vehicle. With the developing power units, the vehicle has significantly increased its performance and has brought its maximum speed to a high level of 280 km/h. The long-lasting new batteries that came with the new generation ended the compulsory pit-stop and vehicle replacement problem experienced in previous seasons. At the same time, keeping pace with the developments in the field of safety, the vehicle was equipped with a safety cage called “Halo” which aims to protect the driver in case of an accident.