Formula E: The Future of Cars
How this niche motorsport could transform the world we live in, and how others are failing to do so.
By Neil Maru
Motorsport is a niche interest. It’s somewhat of a technical sport with as much science as a skill. While technicalities dictate some of the most tremendous arguments, any motorsport fan will tell you that the crowning achievement is becoming Formula 1 World Champion; but that doesn’t always have to be the case. There is a possibility that the future lies elsewhere. And nobody is making a stronger case for it than Formula E.
Let’s set the scene: It’s September 2014, in Beijing. You hear there is a racing event going on in the city centre. Do you brace yourself for the sound of….nothing?
That’s right: you have just witnessed the first ePrix — what Formula E calls its races.
Formula E is an all-electric formula racing championship that aims to showcase electric motor technology and become a premier championship in the age of fuel cuts. It showcases city-centre wheel-to-wheel action on a budget and without any emissions.
In 2014, Formula 1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, in a stance that aged like milk, stated Formula E would most likely be a temporary venture to “make a few quid and that’ll be the…
