There’s been a lot of talk about electrifying the Formula 1 racing series. Two French companies have gone the extra mile though and built an all-electric Formula 1 car…that just happens to be the fastest electric car in the world.
This joint project came from two French companies, FCI and Formulec, who gathered scores of engineers from the Formula 1 field to build this F1 EV. This vehicle takes less than 3 seconds to accelerate to 60 mph, and has an astonishing top speed of over 155 mph. That’s way, way faster than the Nissan Leaf NISMO RC all-electric race car prototype. Depending on which metric you are comparing, that makes it the fastest “electric racing car” in the world (though the fellows behind the 300 mph Buckeye Bullet land speed racer might have something to say about that.) This F1 EV will tour the world in 2011 before Formulec sets up an all-electric F1 racing series in 2012. Color me excited.
I get so tired of EV haters accusing electric cars of being boring and slow, without ever actually getting into one. Obviously, they never heard of Tesla Roadster. And as far as I see it, motorsports has hit something of a performance wall with traditional internal combustion engines.
But electric motors represent a whole new frontier in motorsports that has gone largely untouched by the big brands. That leaves the field wide open for pioneers to take EV racing, whether it be on the drag strip or the Formula 1 circuit, to professional levels. Amateur EV racing series are popping every day it seem and even F1 is on board with greener racing. It’s a new day for motorsports, and the increasingly visible EV racing crowd is sure to win over some “traditional” fans to further spread acceptance of electric cars as the way of the future.
Source: Caradvice via Inhabitat
Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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This is SO cool! Nothing advances technology like competition and this will push battery tech and electronics forward quickly.
When it becomes an advantage to be able to make one less pit stop or to be able to go 30 laps at top speed rather than 28 laps plus having to nurse it home to finish a race. Someone will find a way to stretch that extra juice out.
More efficient and yet more powerful electric motors. They will improve regen braking and rely less and less on physical brakes. More efficient inverters that handle the heat better and can be smaller and lighter.
They’ll learn to adjust the brake bias on the fly and have it on all four wheels for better performance all around.
There are so many things to advance here.
Oh, and this car does 155mph with only 3 gears. Wait till they start to put a real transmission in it. A modern Formula 1 car has 7 gears!
This car will be awesome and I’m anxious to see some lap times on well known tracks.