Lucas De Grassi drove an FIA Formula -E electric open wheel car in Los Angeles yesterday, on Earth Day.
LA will be one of the ten cities to host Formula E races starting in 2014, all on temporary street circuits. Or that's the plan, so far the FIA has 8 dates in Rome, London, Miami, Pecking, Buenos Aires, Rio De Janeiro and Putrajaya with two other dates yet to be determined.
The car weighs 780 kg (1720lbs) and have an equivalent of 400 hp. Being electric they make no sound beyond tire noise and maybe gear whine so the cars will be outfitted with a noisemaking gizmo said to produce and 80db "futuristic sound". The cars will be built by Spark Racing on a Dallara design with Mclaren electronic components.
Races will be about an hour long but the cars have a battery range of about 25 minutes and no provision for quick change of their batteries meaning drivers will have to make a pit stop to change to a second charged car.
There is a $2.6 M purse for the championship winning driver, $5.2M for the winning team.
