Vyralize: The Formula E team has publicly demoed the Spark-Renault SRT_01E at CES 2014 in Las Vegas.
Formula E is colliding with the world of PC gaming to create the "ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge", bringing to the world nine weeks of racing action with the co-operation of all the drivers and teams within the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.
The Robocar prototype 'Devbot' recently completed 12 laps at a racetrack autonomously. Devbot went faster and faster round the Formula E track in Marrakech without a driver and without crashing.
Once they get devbot up to spec and capable of racing other autonomous racing cars then the ROBORACE championship will begin. It will be a great proving ground for technologies such as electric and self-driving cars, much like Formula E, or like F1 is for road cars at the moment.
The organiser of Formula E, an electric car race, has announced it will introduce a driverless championship from next year. The Roborace series will provide a "competitive platform for the autonomous driving solutions being developed", it said.
Lol @ the range of these things. It seems like a good idea to help develop the electric vehicle but it'll also show off to the world their painful limitations such as their range and cost.
They aren't even that fast right now either, 0-60 in 3s is really slow for a supposedly top tier single seat purpose built racing car IMO- a mere Formula Renault 2 litre is easily faster and that's the bottom rung of single seat Formula racers
I understand a need to get consumers in electric cars (most of them, anyway, as most people can get where they need to go just fine in the distance-limited vehicles - they're going to have to REALLY come down in price first, though), but why race cars? Slower, longer to refuel, and less run time...what's the advantage?
This isn't right. The car sounds like it has had its nuts cut off.