JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The flag waves letting drivers know the race has begun. Unlike a gasoline-powered race where engines vroom and the entire arena explodes in loud rumbles, these cars come alive with a calming whoosh noise, almost like they’re Jestons-era spaceships.
The first FIA-sanctioned open-wheel race to take place in New York City will make history this weekend when electric cars descend on the streets of Brooklyn.
The all-electric sister to the more well-known Formula One championship series will have a double-header in NYC on Saturday and Sunday — July 15 and 16th — before closing out its third season in Montreal at the end of this month.
The New York City ePrix is shaking up the race car industry and serving as a test pool for automobile manufacturers pioneering the development of all-electric and autonomous cars. Major brands, including Audi, Virgin Racing, Panasonic Jaguar, Renault and Next EV, several of which themselves are developing electric cars for the consumer market, are team sponsors.
“The Championships’ really pushing the development of electric powertrains and the technology to benefit the car manufacturers and everyone that will drive electric vehicles in the future,” said Next EV NIO Formula E Team driver Oliver Turvey during an interview with SportTechie at the RPM Raceway indoor karting facility two days before the race.
Next EV has participated in Formula E since the league’s inception in 2014. In November, the Chinese-backed automobile startup introduced its first product, the Nio EP9 electric supercar, which shattered the Nurburgring lap record earlier this year.
NextEV has referred to the Nio EP9 as a “visionary electric car” that can help to inspire electric vehicles of superior performance by showing what’s possible.
Electric cars are also playing a part in the evolving racing industry. While gasoline racing has been popular in Europe, through Formula One, and in the Southern U.S., through NASCAR, it has never gained much steam in places like New York or Silicon Valley.
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The software powering many of these cars and the close interaction between driver (Turvey has an engineering degree) and team engineers in the pit, could better appeal to new demographics that are interested in the technology and innovation.
“You need to work closely with your engineer to understand how to get the best out of the car and how to get the best out of the race,” Turvey said. “You’re always having to be as efficient as possible with the energy in the race and really try to maximize the energy you have. It’s a little bit different from some of the other cars we’ve raced.”
While the cars are relatively silent, they can speed up far faster than gasoline cars because of instant and consistent torque. The Formula E series also takes place on actual city streets, which makes each race course different and allows entire cities to spectate.