Eco-trendy E racing: Will it catch on?
Upon learning Hydro-Quebec would be the title sponsor of the upcoming Formula E races in Montreal, I wondered how Ontario taxpayers would react to Hydro One sponsoring such a similar undertaking in this province.
Sure, auto companies back racing and other sports. Toyota sponsors major events in IndyCar Racing, NASCAR, and the NHRA. Honda and Chevrolet sponsor Indycar races. Honda is also an event sponsor in the PGA, as is BMW.
But using public funds to promote a sporting event such as the Montreal ePRIX will not sit well with many, even though its technology is pushing alternative fuel to mainstream consciousness.
“The Formula E in Montreal isn’t just a race, it’s a message that we want to send to our citizens and to our friends around the planet,” said Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre recently. “That message is that Montreal isn’t afraid of innovation or change. Montréal is 100 per cent committed to the energy transition, and transportation electrification is the backbone of our strategy. Once again, Montreal will be a trailblazer and will lead the way.”
The series began in September 2014 in Beijing, and for this season, it holds 12 events across the globe in such populous areas as Hong Kong, Mexico City, Paris, and New York City, and finishes in Montreal July 30. It has substantial series sponsorship with firms such as DHL, BMW, Visa, and Michelin.
The mandate of the Formula E series is to promote climate change and the transition to smart cities, lower the carbon footprint, and reduce global emissions.
And the race cars are far from appearing as a third-year university electric car development exercise. Automakers with strong racing backgrounds such as Audi, Jaguar and Renault all field teams, as well as Andretti Autosport.
Styling is very similar to present Formula One cars. All cars used the same motor, invertor and gearbox powertrain for the first two seasons, but restrictions have now been lifted to promote technology advances.
The cars must weigh 880 kg (batteries 320 kg), can produce about 270 horsepower, and have a maximum speed of about 140 m.p.h.
All of this is very noble, and perhaps Hydro-Quebec’s sponsoring of an electric car race is a good fit. But let’s take this a couple of steps further.
In the real world, electric power (and to a lesser degree hydrogen and fuel-cell) is presently competing with the traditional internal combustion engine for personal transportation. Why not in racing?
An electric-powered racing car series is great, but an electric car always wins. Why does the FIA, or any sanctioning body, not develop a series where all forms of power would be welcome on the same playing
field? Then we would find out how superior (or inferior) electric cars are when competing with the other forms of power.
And why is it only the FIA is promoting electric car racing? Is FIA that far advanced in its foresight to realize racing with fossil fuels has no future? Is Formula E just a short-term gimmick to get on the environmentally-friendly bandwagon (electric powered of course)?
Will NASCAR, IndyCar, and the other majors start to develop electric race cars? Eventually, perhaps. But a field of 33 electric cars taking the green flag for the Indy 500 is hard to imagine.
WEEKEND WINNERS: Cory Turner got off to a good start for 2017 with a third-place finish in the Patriot Sprint Tour event during Merrittville Speedway’s season opener Saturday. Turner, from Caistor Centre, and in his fourth year of Sprint car racing, started sixth in the 25-lap A-Main which was won by Jason Barney of Constantia, N.Y. Tim
Jones of Port Robinson won the Pinty’s 358 Modified feature. … Leah Pritchett won her third Top Fuel race of 2017, taking out
Steve Torrence in the TF final at the NHRA SpringNationals at Royal Purple Raceway in Texas. Shawn Reed, driving the Parisbased Paton Racing Top Fuel entry, was eliminated in the first round. Another first round loser at Baytown was Pro Modified driver Eric Latino of Port Perry, the only Canadian to qualify in the J& A Service Pro Mod Series race.