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Formula E

wired.com

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Re: Formula E

#31

Post by nitid_name »

qwerta wrote: post #15
mehwoot wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you serious? When was the last time you watched a Formula 1 race? It was boring because there weren't any restrictions, and so the best teams were so far ahead the races just became a procession. That and the high downforce setups being badly affected by running behind other cars, coupled with tires that didn't wear out much, made overtaking almost non existent. In the last 6 seasons, we've had 4 championships de…

Formula 1 was also technological race, that is now gone. Why should top teams invest into innovation anymore? F1 today is just street race with oddly shaped cars.

The odd shapes are one of the areas of innovation.

Because the FIA limited the placement and size of aerodynamic fins (i.e. spoilers and front lips), the engineers started using other aerodynamic innovations to increase downforce. One of the most interesting things to come out of F1 cars, from an aerospace engineering perspective, is the use of eddies and other circular air motions underneath the vehicle to drop the pressure (and create a corresponding downforce).

Just because the rules stop innovation on something like engine tech doesn't mean innovation stops; it just means it moves to optimizing other pieces of tech.

Re: Formula E

#32

Post by blackaspen »

I hope Formula E serves as an excellent gateway drug into something more, erm, exciting.

Watching refrigerators go around a racing track for an hour at a time, with no car endurance, making no noise, doesn't sound like an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

Hopefully F1 viewership will go up.

Re: Formula E

#33

Post by gd1 »

hazz wrote: post #18
k-mcgrady wrote: post #4

>> "The schedule is set to include London, Berlin, Rome, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Beijing, Bangkok, and Purtrajaya, as well as stateside races in Los Angeles and Miami. " The fact that this is run completely on street circuits will hurt it. Over taking is incredibly difficult on street circuits and that will turn most people away from it.

I think choosing street circuits was a great decision. The two street circuits in F1 (Monaco and Singapore) are highly regarded by both the fans and drivers as being exciting and challenging races. On top of this, the possibility of a race running through "your city" has the potential to draw audiences far greater than that of F1.

There are five current street circuits. You missed Melbourne, Valencia and Montreal.

Re: Formula E

#34

Post by at-fates-hands »

ianstallings wrote: post #21

and the pit stops don’t just involve swapping tires or batteries, but switching cars . This is not what racing is about. Racing is about making sure you not only go the fastest around the track, but it's about endurance of the car itself. Particularly in what amounts to a manufacturer race where it's all about the car. I love this idea otherwise. Electric cars are getting better and better each day.

>>>>> Racing is about making sure you not only go the fastest around the track, but it's about endurance of the car itself.

Agreed.

This also involves a TON of strategy to make sure your car can make it the distance. If you can swap out cars, it would seem a great deal of the strategy goes out the window - no?

Re: Formula E

#36

Post by ianstallings »

at-fates-hands wrote: post #34
ianstallings wrote: post #21

and the pit stops don’t just involve swapping tires or batteries, but switching cars . This is not what racing is about. Racing is about making sure you not only go the fastest around the track, but it's about endurance of the car itself. Particularly in what amounts to a manufacturer race where it's all about the car. I love this idea otherwise. Electric cars are getting better and better each day.

>>>>> Racing is about making sure you not only go the fastest around the track, but it's about endurance of the car itself. Agreed. This also involves a TON of strategy to make sure your car can make it the distance. If you can swap out cars, it would seem a great deal of the strategy goes out the window - no?

And can you imagine the onus this puts on the driver? Right as they get to become one with the car, knowing how it will react to their every move, they change him to a new car. And no two cars drive alike when it comes to racing. You see this in two+ car teams.

Re: Formula E

#38

Post by ianstallings »

Gravityloss wrote: post #35

But why do the cars look so much like regular F1? They wouldn't need much air intakes, only some for cooling... Are the batteries so big?

Weighing in at 400+ lbs I'd say yes they are probably large. Lithium batteries are known for getting "warm" also. Plus the motors themselves will need to be cooled along with other hardware like computers.

Re: Formula E

#39

Post by exDM69 »

Gravityloss wrote: post #35

But why do the cars look so much like regular F1? They wouldn't need much air intakes, only some for cooling... Are the batteries so big?

> But why do the cars look so much like regular F1? They wouldn't need much air intakes, only some for cooling... Are the batteries so big?

The cooling ducts in the sidepods are a lot smaller in Formula E than in F1. On the top, there's no airbox where the air intake would be but you need to have a rollover bar above the driver's head.

Re: Formula E

#40

Post by spotj »

Gravityloss wrote: post #37

The article is erroneous in stating that F1 has the same engine for all teams. The engines are mostly similar but they are made by different manufacturers. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Formula_One_season

Indeed. Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Cosworth are all engine suppliers this year.
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