Rome has been confirmed as the first European city which will host the new FIA Formula E electric car racing championship.
To announce the arrival of the new official racing series for electric cars in the Italian capital-set to launch in 2014-Formula E Development Driver and Pirelli test driver, Mr Luca di Grassi gave a demonstration drive around the Coliseum.
Rome becomes the second city in the world to welcome the FIA Formula E Championship following Rio di Janeiro’s announcement in August this year. In total, the 2014 inaugural Championship will feature 10 urban races. It is rumoured that London could also be one of the first to host a race, with the possibility of using the Olympic Stadium. Further announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E Holdings said: “We are honoured to have Rome on board as the first European city to host Formula E, since Italy is renowned for its motorsports passion, expertise and technical innovation.
“Clean urban mobility and sustainability are a priority for our Championship, and Formula E wants to become a showcase for these advances through an entertaining and all-inclusive spectacle. We are thankful to the Rome City Mayor and authorities for their enthusiastic welcome and support.”
Just last month, McLaren announced its intention to design and build electric cars for the championship. Lead by Frederic Vasseur, a new consortium called Spark Racing Technology (SRT) expects to demonstrate the first cars in 2013, ahead of the launch of the first race series in the following year (see story).
The new Formula E championship is designed specifically to showcase the possibilities of electric vehicles and should help develop new technologies and increase public awareness of the possibilities of battery-powered cars.
Faye has been writing about cars and environmental issues since 2007. A suspected eco-warrior working on the corporate inside, Faye mainly likes the weird, quirky vehicles that show a distinct environmental advantage. Her ideal car has enough room to fit a bale of hay in the boot. When not working, she likes nothing better than to head out on her bicycle and explore the countryside.
Alex
Awesome to see the technology reaching this level of performance. The future of transportation is changing rapidly and the "Gas Heads" who think this is crazy well are just so 1950's.
The electric supporters will soon be laughing at the "Gas Heads" as we see our electric cars flying past gas powered vehicles. I'm all for the power, speed. skill and technology. Having my ears blasted by high reving gas engines is getting a little old.
December 28, 2012
Dan Theman
OMG here we go, Silent racing. I am sure plenty of folk will make lots of cash from this brave "green" endeavor. Battery life will be the pace item as will the lack of roar from the electric motor. I assume pit stops will be a couple of hours for the recharge :-)
December 04, 2012