Shanghai Formula E: Electric Racing in China

Join me and Mark as we attend round 11 of the ABB FormulaE 2024 championship, getting to the Shanghai circuit via the metro. We were total lacking any knowledge of the rules, so it was a good learning experience.

Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars. The inaugural championship race was held in Beijing in September 2014. Since 2020, the series has FIA world championship status.

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season consists of a series of races, each known as an e-Prix. These take place in multiple countries and continents around the world, mostly on street circuits created specifically for Formula E on closed public roads in the centre of major cities, with a small number on iconic purpose-built circuits such as Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. A points system is used at each e-Prix to determine two annual World Championships: one for the drivers, and one for the constructors (the teams). Each driver must hold a valid e-Licence issued by the FIA to compete.

Formula E cars are the fastest regulated electric road-course racing cars in the world. Major changes made for the 2022–23 season in the development of the Gen3 car were delivered as software updates directly to the advanced operating system built into the car. The estimated top speed is 322 km/h (200 mph). The battery is also designed to be able to handle "flash-charging" at rates of up to 600 kW, allowing pitstop recharging into the championship for the first time. The wheelbase has been reduced from 3100 mm to 2970 mm and the weight reduced to 760 kg.