Quiet zoom: Electric car race comes to Brooklyn waterfront
What race car barely makes a sound while zipping through the streets of New York and major cities around the world?
It’s a Formula One car with an electric engine. A Brooklyn waterfront with a view of the Statue of Liberty hosted the Formula E Championship series, where “E’’ stands for electric.
“We race in city centres where F1 could never be racing — central London, central Paris, central Brooklyn,” FE driver JeanEric Vergne said. “Fans love it because you don’t have to travel. Just take the tube, taxi or bikes and arrive at a temporary track in their hometown.”
The fully electric racing series is quieter and more climate friendly than the roaring F1 engines that run on gasoline. An FE car is 80 decibels compared to about 130 for an F1 car.
“Yes, people can sleep in the morning without being awakened by the cars,” he said of the early practice sessions in what’s billed as the first motorsport race in the five boroughs.
Jean Todt, the president of motor sports’ governing body, and Formula E chief executive Alejandro Agag began the Formula E Championship in 2014, starting with a race around the grounds of Olympic Park in Beijing. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is an investor in FE and a member of its sustainability committee.
The F1 series that’s been around since 1950 isn’t generally considered an environmentally friendly sport, but it’s evolving with more fuel-efficient engines. The 10 teams in Formula E are highlighting the clean technology of electric cars. There are no carbon emissions from an e-car. The FE series began its third season in Hong Kong in October and raced in Marrakesh, Morocco; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Mexico City; Monaco; Paris and Berlin before coming to New York. The series ends in Montreal on July 29-30.
“I think electric mobility or at least zero-emission mobility is a key point in keeping our planet clean,” Vergne said.
The FE technology has improved, with electric engines lasting 25 minutes while reaching speeds of 140 mph. During the event, there’s a mid-race car swap, where the drivers switch to another charged car. In the next two years, Vergne expects drivers will use one car because “batteries will be twice as efficient.” The batteries now need 60 minutes to recharge.