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Formula E

wired.com

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Re: Formula E

#41

Post by spotj »

gd1 wrote: post #33
hazz wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I wouldn't consider Montreal a true street circuit. It's more like a road course. Also, Valencia is widely regarded as one of the worst circuits.

Re: Formula E

#42

Post by themckman »

blackaspen wrote: post #32

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.

I'm curious if you saw the video at the bottom of the article. There's a small clip of the sound the cars make. It certainly won't be as loud as the current engines, but I don't think they'll be making "no noise".

Re: Formula E

#43

Post by nexox »

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.

My issue with this is that the pit stops will be so long and variable (it's not mentioned in the article, but the driver must sprint 100m to switch cars, and a 6 point harness is non-trivial to buckle and tighten,) that it will nullify any sort of on-track advantage, which is the actual interesting part of racing.

Re: Formula E

#44

Post by TrevorJ »

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.

Different series, different rules. Auto racing is a wide and varied world. I see no problem with car switching being part of a series. It might be heresy in F1, but this new series will come with its own interesting kinks.

Re: Formula E

#45

Post by TrevorJ »

lumberjack wrote: post #20

Would anyone like to speculate on the reason why they would rather, the teams switched cars, instead of switching batteries? It does not seem like the kind of decision that would catalyze innovation feasible for the consumer market.

It would be a huge engineering hurdle to make 400 lbs of battery swappable and still ensure that there is no chance of them coming loose during a wreck due to being seated improperly, etc. I think it is a safety consideration more than anything.

Re: Formula E

#46

Post by canthonytucci »

buster wrote: post #14
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.

Seems like they can temporarily boost the horsepower to overtake. For me, it's exciting, i will definitely try to attend a race in my city :)

This is possible now in F1 through the use of the "KERS" system, which uses in wheel (I think)electric motors, they can also use a "DRS" system, which temporarily reduces downforce via an adjustable rear wing.

The problem with both technologies is that they're artificially limited and their use is subject to convoluted regulations. In the end, Vettel always wins anyway.

I love F1, but I would love to see a truly forward looking series with active aerodynamics and suspension, and where teams can develop and use their own tires, this kind of "unlimited" racing, on the same amazing circuits and with the same level of drivers would be truly exciting. Driver safety and minimum weight limit regulations, (and of course rules against oil slicks and the like) would be enough to keep the sport sane, but also encourage a more diverse and interesting set of solutions from the teams.

I understand that F1 is not this series, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to see the same drivers in some more interesting machines duking it out around Monte Carlo.

Re: Formula E

#47

Post by [deleted] »

nexox wrote: post #43
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.

My issue with this is that the pit stops will be so long and variable (it's not mentioned in the article, but the driver must sprint 100m to switch cars, and a 6 point harness is non-trivial to buckle and tighten,) that it will nullify any sort of on-track advantage, which is the actual interesting part of racing.

[deleted]

Re: Formula E

#48

Post by robomartin »

The biggest problem with this race series is the organizing body. The FIA is a dinosaur. Unless they change their ways you will not be able to watch these races in the US unless you have expensive cable/satellite service that include the Speed channel. The FIA has not embraced the Internet. There is no easy way to watch F1 races online.

I hope they take a different approach with Formula E.

Re: Formula E

#49

Post by zalew »

canthonytucci wrote: post #46
buster wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like they can temporarily boost the horsepower to overtake. For me, it's exciting, i will definitely try to attend a race in my city :)

This is possible now in F1 through the use of the "KERS" system, which uses in wheel (I think)electric motors, they can also use a "DRS" system, which temporarily reduces downforce via an adjustable rear wing. The problem with both technologies is that they're artificially limited and their use is subject to convoluted regulations. In the end, Vettel always wins anyway. I love F1, but I would love to see a truly forw…

Agreed, the beaurocracy is unbearable, I'd love a no-handcuffs F1.

Re: Formula E

#50

Post by pplante »

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

i think they were referring to the requirement that all of the engines are the same type.
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