Flying sparks: Formula E opener in Hong Kong

Twenty open-wheeled racers are lined up on the grid. The lights go green, the cars sprint from their starting slots and jostle for position as they charge towards the first corner. All fairly typical of a motor race, but there’s just two things missing – the eardrum-assaulting thunder of fuel being compressed and ignited inside combustion chambers and the hazy residue spat out of exhaust pipes.

Welcome to the world of Formula E.

motoring.com.au is at the inaugural Hong Kong ePrix – a 45-lap dash around a tight 2km street circuit in the heart of the Central Victoria Harbour area. It’s the first time the far eastern metropolis has hosted Formula E, and the event has added significance as it’s the maiden round of the 2016-17 championship.

It’s also our first up-close experience of Formula E, and any curiosity about what the cars sound like is immediately quelled as a soundtrack akin to a radio-controlled car (albeit amplified 100-fold or so) accompanies each car as it swishes past. Perhaps as a compensatory measure, the loudspeakers scattered around the circuit blast out upbeat music for the duration of the race.

The Formula E championship is now into its third year, and what began as a fledgling series is rapidly gaining strength as factory-backed teams from Renault, Audi, Mahindra and BMW (technology partner of Andretti Formula E) have now been joined by Jaguar, while Mercedes is poised to jump into the fray in season five (2018-19).

The reason why these car manufacturers are signing up is best summed up in the pre-race press conference by Lucas di Grassi, the driver who finished second in last year’s championship.

“Motorsport reflects what manufacturers want to promote. Electric cars will become the norm in the future, while combustion engines will become niche,” the Brazilian factory Audi WEC driver explains.

What Formula E represents for these automotive brands is a high-intensity R&D arena in which they can develop and test new electric-powertrain tech in the heat of battle. Although each of the cars is identical in the section spanning from the nose to the battery pack, the powertrain (motor, inverter, transmission) and rear suspension is unique to each team, so there is ample scope for innovation.

“Formula E is an international championship that is moving into the bullseye of where the automotive industry is heading,” explains Panasonic Jaguar racing director, James Barclay.

“We felt that was really important to choose a form of motor racing that was moving more into that bullseye, but would also give us the true learning from a racetrack perspective to apply the technology to our road cars.”

Although the powertrain used by the team’s Formula E racer is quite different to what will be used by Jaguar’s upcoming electric road cars, Barclay says there would be valuable lessons to learn in terms of how to optimise the performance of each of these components, and also in the area of managing the heat issues associated with large battery packs. This know-how could be directly applied to the company’s production cars, he says.

Tesla has gotten the jump on the major manufacturers by proving there is a healthy and sustainable market for high-end battery-powered cars, as long as said vehicles deliver an attractive performance, practicality and price equation.

Jaguar has thus far shunned the hybrid and full-electric genre, but it’s now playing catch-up, and the company’s product engineering boss, Nick Rogers, says the company’s push into Formula E is a reflection of what’s to come from the brand.

Among the vehicles believed to be in the leaping cat pipeline are an all-electric SUV derived from the F-Pace, and this will reportedly take the fight to the Tesla Model X.

It’s this applicability to the mass market that has also prompted official tyre supplier Michelin to favour Formula E over F1. Here they use a single treaded 18-inch tyre regardless of conditions, whereas for each race F1 cars have three different tyre compounds for dry weather, plus separate wet and intermediate rubber.

For all intents and purposes, a Formula E tyre looks like something you could affix to your road car and use to pass an inspection to register the vehicle. The same obviously doesn’t apply to an F1 slick.

Some quick stats for the sake of perspective: Formula E racers are propelled by electric motors that generate a maximum output of 200kW, and the cars weigh 880kg including the driver. By comparison, Formula One cars push out 550-625kW and weigh 702kg with the driver in situ.

So, yes, the battery-powered racers are no match for F1 cars in terms of pure pace. But that’s not to say they don’t make for an exciting spectacle. On the contrary, there’s plenty of wheel-banging dices, and the Hong Kong race is punctuated by several desperate overtaking moves, with drivers diving into corners two or three abreast.

The Formula E pilots have a twin-pronged challenge. They must not only try and outpace their competitors, they have to do so while managing their energy consumption to avoid draining their cars’ batteries prematurely.
The rules are set up so each driver jumps out of one car and into another (fully charged) halfway through the race, and the sprint for the chequered flag is then on again. As a spectator, you can keep track of the percentage of battery charge each driver has remaining, and it’s fascinating to see how they strategically use the ‘juice’ available to try and end up in the best possible position when the flag drops.

Packed grandstands (tickets reportedly sold out within an hour) are an indicator that Formula E is a hit with the public – at least in Hong Kong. What adds to the accessibility of the sport is that races are held in the heart of the city – made possible by the fact the cars generate very little noise and zero emissions – so there’s no need for fans to make the trek to a far-flung racetrack.

Formula E boss Alejandro Agag has already gone on record to state that Australia is on the radar as a potential venue for the championship and says it may happen in season four.

“Having a race in Australia for season four is a big priority for us,” he was quoted as saying.

“We have had some really good meetings with potential sponsors and Australia is moving in the right direction in terms of sustainability and electric cars.

Among the locations that have reportedly figured in discussions are Adelaide and Sydney, but Agag says Gold Coast and Perth could also be candidates.

Agag stresses, however, the Formula E race won’t share the stage with Supercars. The all-electric championship steers clear of combustion-engine categories on the same card.