zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Formula E's New Race Car Actually Looks Pretty Awesome—And It Has A Halo
Formula E's New Race Car Actually Looks Pretty Awesome—And It Has A Halo-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:17

The all-electric bills itself as the future of motorsports. And despite the current lack of huge-name talent, noise and drama we expect from most forms of racing, automakers like Jaguar, Nissan, Audi and Porsche are all-in. Starting later this year, meet the car they’ll all race with.

Formula E—formally the ABB FIA Formula E Championship—unveiled the latest Gen2 car today, and it’s what the series’ 10 teams will race in the 2018- 2019 season. It looks good! It had been likened by series officials to the , and they more or less delivered on that idea. It looks similar to the current IndyCar and Formula One racers, with a bit more of a prototype vibe thrown in for good measure.

Series CEO Alejandro Agag was quoted in ESPN as saying it’s more than just better looking too: “The cars will be faster and will have almost double the amount of energy storage capacity and double the range, demonstrating the continuous evolution of battery technology,” he said. That should, in theory, make for better racing.

The car’s being billed as “the future of racing,” and that’s accurate on at least one front: this race car has the halo over the cockpit, a controversial safety measure in other open-wheel series designed to protect drivers from head injuries. That’s being mandated. On the FE car, the halo includes a ring of embedded lights, and we’ll see how that gets used. I’m eager to see how drivers react to its presence.

Formula One has been testing out different ideas for shielding drivers’ exposed heads for a few…

More than that, I’m hopeful these new cars push Formula E’s speeds and excitement to the next level. While a ton of automakers are getting involved—it’s much cheaper to run than a F1 or Le Mans team, and being “green,” it’s good PR—but the racing itself isn’t quite where it needs to be yet. The Jalopnik staff attended the New York race last year, and it felt more like a marketing conference with some very aggressive electric karting attached to it than a racing series that fans will obsessively tune into. But it’s young yet, and it has plenty of opportunities to get better. This may be a step in that direction.

In the meantime, we’ll see the new FE cars at the Geneva Motor Show next month, and on track later this year.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
This Race Car Must Not Lose Its Road Car Key Under Any Circumstances, Ever
This Race Car Must Not Lose Its Road Car Key Under Any Circumstances, Ever
If there’s one thing that’s great about the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, it’s that they run a variety of otherwise normal cars that were prepared for race duty. This Bodymotion Racing Porsche 911, for example, still has its road car key to prove it. Look inside this car, and...
Nov 7, 2025
It's So Hot, Driver Liam Dwyer Stripped Down To His Undies In The Pits
It's So Hot, Driver Liam Dwyer Stripped Down To His Undies In The Pits
Television, schmelevision. Liam Dwyer was done with clothes after being lifted out of his car during today’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Circuit of the Americas. It’s hot and humid and let’s be honest, if the rest of us thought we could get away with that, we’d be...
Nov 7, 2025
Ask Porsche Le Mans Prototype Driver Neel Jani Anything You Want
Ask Porsche Le Mans Prototype Driver Neel Jani Anything You Want
What is is like to drive for one of the most dominant teams in sportscar racing? Here’s your chance to find out. We have Porsche World Endurance Championship driver Neel Jani here for the next thirty minutes or so to answer any questions you have about anything — from ChampCar...
Nov 7, 2025
NASCAR's France Family Withdraws Bid to Manage Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
NASCAR's France Family Withdraws Bid to Manage Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Light crowd numbers and restraints on large-scale events plague , causing the speedway’s potential success to fall back on hopes of attracting a new management company. But with the withdrawal of a proposal from the candidate with perhaps the most proven track record (no pun intended), the future of the...
Nov 7, 2025
Weekend Motorsports Roundup, Sept. 19-20, 2015
Weekend Motorsports Roundup, Sept. 19-20, 2015
Welcome to the Jalopnik , where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, where you can see it, and where you can talk about it all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend? Our own Stef Schrader will be...
Nov 7, 2025
Volkswagen Close To Purchasing Red Bull Formula One Team: Report
Volkswagen Close To Purchasing Red Bull Formula One Team: Report
Volkswagen is closing in on a deal to purchase the Red Bull Formula One team to enter as a full works entry with VW power units in 2018, per . We’ve all been wondering why the Volkswagen Group keeps, and I guess now we know. BBC F1 pundit Eddie Jordan...
Nov 7, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved