iDon'tCare about iPhone, let's look at something else

"DasWauto" (DasWauto) 09/10/2013 at 13:33 • Filed to: Formula E

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How about Formula E? The official car has just been revealed. Electric Motor by McLaren, Williams [F1] batteries, assembled by Renault, and from what I gather, named by Chrysler, it's the SRT_01E by Spark-Renault.

This is the car that will be campaigned by all 10 teams in Formula E for 2014 and apparently only for 2014 as the FIA expects other manufacturers to build faster, more advance electric cars in subsequent years. Oh, and drivers are expected to switch cars in the middle of the hour-long race because the batteries do not have sufficient capacity to last the whole race.

This is a silly. In a series that is supposed to develop electric car technology (and isn't meant to be the pinnacle of racing technology that F1 is) it would be best to run a spec chassis to minimize entry costs and let the manufacturers develop the powertrain and batteries from there. Along with that, it should have a swappable battery; A. because changing cars in the middle of the race is stupid and B. because battery swapping is critical to the acceptance and integration of road-going electric vehicles.

To expand on that second point: For an electric car successful in the mainstream market, the impact on a consumer's daily life/routine should be minimized. That means getting rid of range anxiety with more battery capacity and the ability to 'refuel' quickly, whether it be through new, faster charging or battery swapping. Until a battery is developed with a range/charging speed approaching that of a regular gas/diesel cars, battery swapping is the best solution to gain mass acceptance and that is why it should be included in Formula E.

So, what do you think of the car and about formula E in general?

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Mikeado > DasWauto 09/10/2013 at 13:56

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Hmm......

Anyway, if the standardised cars are just for the first year to get the series off the ground, then maybe there'll be opportunities in the following years for manufacturers to try stuff out. At least, I hope so...

I agree that battery swapping would be better. Maybe the packaging doesn't allow for it, though. You don't see F1 teams doing a gearbox change in 12 seconds, after all. The Nissan ZEOD RC may or may not use induction charging during pit stops to top it up. That would be a good technology to apply.

Mazarin > DasWauto 09/10/2013 at 13:58

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I'm scared this will be as successful as the A1GP, which is, not at all.

All the pics show an incredibly simple setup - which I wonder - is that the point? I've seen go-karts that look more complicated than this, but I'm not so naive to think that these cars are as simple as they seem.

Granted, they need to get people involved for anyone to really care, but I think this is a very important venture and to pass it off as merely "noteworthy" is silly.

I watch the Isle of Mann TT every year, and the E-spec bikes were very interesting in both what they showed they could do, and what they still couldn't do. I could almost guarantee that's what Formula E will show the world.

That, and it'll be another ride opportunity for Scott Speed, I'm sure.

Z_Stig > DasWauto 09/10/2013 at 14:03

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Since battery swapping is probably too difficult to execute during the middle of a race, I would like to see a shorter race, just a flat-out 20 minute sprint. Maybe they could then do a triple header and crown an aggregate winner.

Z_Stig > DasWauto 09/10/2013 at 14:05

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Street tires?

DasWauto > Mikeado 09/10/2013 at 14:08

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I'm actually on the side of a spec chassis for the whole series, not just the first year. Perhaps just a spec chassis and aero and let the manufacturers develop the electric technology within that (Flexibility in suspension setup with a choice of inboard or hub motors, choice of using a transmission or direct drive, etc). I would hope that keeping entry costs down that way would entice more manufacturers/companies to enter the series.

I think if Tesla can swap a battery on a Model S in 90 seconds, a system developed for racing might be able to do so in, say, 30 seconds. I think this would be acceptable in a racing situation (hell, the driver swapping cars might even take longer). I think it'll be difficult (I'm imagining a lot of robotics in my head) but doable.

DasWauto > Z_Stig 09/10/2013 at 14:09

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Also a good idea. I'm still in favour of a battery swap but as you said, it'll be difficult so a series of sprint races may just be a better option for the time being.

DasWauto > Z_Stig 09/10/2013 at 14:13

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I doubt they're actually street tires but they will not be using slicks at all in this series and according to the Racecar Engineering page I linked, each car will be limited to a single set for a racing meet (which I presume is the entire weekend?).

PS9 > DasWauto 09/10/2013 at 17:28

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How can you not care? You can get the bigger GeeBees and Wifis in gold now!

Fred Smith > DasWauto 09/11/2013 at 02:50

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It's actually just a Dallara DW12 repackaged under the "Spark" sub-brand of Dallara and given Renault branding for a reason absolutely nobody seems to know.

It's basically going to be Superleague Formula with a weird street circuit calendar in place of petrol power. In other words, terrible, but the special breed of terrible that I'll enjoy. In the tradition of the aforementioned SLF, A1GP and the ever under-rated AutoGP, it's going to be a weird, weird, weird EOWR series full of the potent combination of sloppy pay drivers and shockingly talented guys that have no logical reason to be there. A series that has no real reason to exist in a world of very logical development ladders in both EOWR and AOWR.

About nine of the ten street circuits on the schedule will be replaced by Donnington Park or Brands Hatch. Adam Carroll will clinch the title with Andretti Autosport by weekend 8 of 10. China Racing will cease to exist sometime around weekend 5. Drayson Racing will provide both the fastest (Cocker) and slowest (Drayson) cars on the grid in at least one session. The other seven teams will also invariably do fun stuff, but I'll have to find out who the hell they are before I can make a snap judgement about them. It'll be fun!

Fred Smith > Mikeado 09/11/2013 at 02:53

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Don't get too excited about induction charging for the "Delectricwing". The ZEOD's a Chevrolet Volt, more or less. That's what ZEOD means after all, "Zero Emissions On Demand".

Mikeado > Fred Smith 09/11/2013 at 05:59

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In my experience you don't get too excited about very much...

Eike > DasWauto 09/11/2013 at 06:06

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Just in case the 'wrong' driver is winning.

Eike > DasWauto 09/11/2013 at 06:10

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I put this spec chassis idea forward for a way of improving F1; everyone gets an Adrian Newey designed car, essentially. Powertrain from manufacturers and setup by race teams. Its the perfect trade-off between affordability and skill.

DasWauto > Eike 09/11/2013 at 08:22

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It is a good trade-off between affordability and skill but I don't think it's as good an idea for F1 as I think it is for Formula E. Formula E is meant to develop electric vehicle techn0logy; in a way, the chassis doesn't matter so a spec chassis would help keep costs down and make it attractive to enter for manufacturers. On the other hand, F1 is meant to be the pinnacle of all racing technology so I think the cars need to be bespoke, limiting as the costs may be.

Eike > DasWauto 09/11/2013 at 09:37

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Yeah, I see that. But F1 was supposed to be trying to reduce costs, and making it more relevant to a wider audience. That was the context under which I wrote the comment. I 100% agree with your opinion though, a bespoke chassis is completely irrelevant in the context of the series. And for it to be sustainable, the money will have to go on the powertrains. Even if its working out how to make gearboxes work in them! (That would be a good thing to see, and a good way to increase range)

Fred Smith > Mikeado 09/11/2013 at 12:51

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Your experience is wrong.

A few racing things I am excited about in the remainder of the 2013 racing season:

Both of the remaining IndyCar events in 2013 (Houston and Fontana)

The promising Luca Filippi, who if not for getting a chance from Bryan Herta Autosport would be looking for something like a FE ride right about now, running in Houston for said team

The remaining Nationwide starts for the three 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookies (Larson, Dillon and, although it isn't yet official, Allgaier)

The remaining Grand-Am and ALMS races, the last of each series before the beginning of the USCR

The 2013 Pirtek Enduro Cup, most notably Bathurst obviously

The reveal of each of the 2014 LMP1 fighters

I get excited about many, many, many things. I just don't get excited about vaporware and series that don't make any sense. This is both. I'll like seeing all the weird driver selections, especially because I'm a fan of many of those weird drivers that frequent these kinds of series (think Richard Antinucci and the aforementioned Luca Filippi), but I'm not exactly excited to see a thoroughly strange, but fun, series slowly become less impressive over time before ultimately failing in year 3 or 4 as every other series this ambitious has in the last 10 years.

I got excited for A1GP. I got excited for the GT1 World Championship. I was burned both times. I learned my lesson in trusting the people starting these new series and now I don't get my hopes up for series that start to fill a niche that doesn't really exist. I do still get excited about reinventions of series, like the USCR and the soon-to-be-merged Super GT and DTM, but I don't get excited for things like the American DTM or the aforementioned Formula E.

Please, don't confuse skepticism for simple pessimism. There is a difference.