Formula E race cars delivered to teams

There are ten teams competing in the FIA Formula E Championship electric Formula One-style racing this year. Now, fulfilling the first part of its promise, Spark-Renault has delivered the first of the SRT-01E race cars to teams so every team has a first delivery of the electric F1 car.

Spark Racing Technology, which is in charge of building and delivering the cars to racers, says they are on schedule to complete deliveries at the appointed times before racing begins. Each team will have multiple cars (four each), just as in standard F1 racing.

Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E, said: “Today marks a very significant milestone in the genesis of the FIA Formula E Championship. In September 2013 we launched this incredible fully-electric 150mph car and after more than 3,000km of rigorous testing we’re delighted to be now handing them over to our 10 teams. My thanks go to Frédéric Vasseur and his team at Spark Racing Technology for making this happen and all our car partners – McLaren, Williams, Dallara, Renault and Michelin – involved in its development.

“Today we also officially welcome our teams into their new bespoke facilities, built to the latest environmental and sustainable construction standards. The Donington Park team, led by Kevin Wheatcroft and Christopher Tate, together with the North West Leicestershire Council, the Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and the Growing Places Fund should all be immensely proud of what they have achieved in such a short space of time. We’re delighted with our new operational headquarters and very pleased to be a part of burgeoning British motorsport industry.”

Official testing opens at the new Donington Park facility on July 3 for pre-season with racing scheduled to begin in Beijing on September 13. Teams will have all four of their cars for testing by July 15.

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An automotive enthusiast for most of his adult life, Aaron has worked in and around the industry in many ways. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP), the Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA), the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA), and freelances as a writer and journalist around the Web and in print. You can find his portfolio at AaronOnAutos.com.

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Nicolas says:

May 19, 2014 at 10:54 am

This is exciting, witnessing the birth of a new race type. As much as I’m happy to see it going under way, I can’t help but wonder how it will morph. Obviously, Renaul/Spark won’t always be the main manufacturer. They will have to open it to others, if they want to attract more competition. If they don’t, I fear Formula E might go the route A1 took. A1 was great idea, but didn’t work. Hopefully Formula E learned the lessons.

Also, another thing to watch out for is the battery swap/recharge direction F-E will have to take at some point. I see the potential of inductive charging, but it’s a few years down the road, unless it can be financed quickly.

No matter how I look at it, I’m excited to see a new race, built on modern designs and systems. It’s about time.

Nicolas says:

May 19, 2014 at 10:54 am

Oh, and p.s., you beat me to the story!

Aaron Turpen says:

May 20, 2014 at 12:48 am

It’s already been announced that the Spark-Renault build exclusivity is only for this year. I believe Audi has said they’ll be building cars for next year. Don’t be surprised if Drayson or someone doesn’t get involved as well. It will end up similar to F1 with three or four manufacturers doing it.