A few days ago, we were introduced to a pair of concept race cars for the upcoming IndyCar seasons courtesy of its builder, Dallara. Today, we’re introduced to the Formulec EF01, the first of what appears to be a new generation of single-seater electric race cars that will participate in the upcoming Formulec World Series in 2012.
And who said that automotive competitions aren’t safe from the electric revolution?
The Formulec EF01 was designed and created by South African firm Formulec and its partner, SEGULA Technologies and was built with the intention of combining speed and efficiency with sustainability and an eye towards environmental responsibility. Despite its electric nature, the EF01 is still capable of posting a north-to-60 mph time of just three seconds and a top speed of 150 mph.
This electric race car differentiates itself from the rest of its gas-emitting brethren through a technology that puts importance on hi-performance connectors that are used for the high current and high voltage - 250A/400-800V - DC connection for the battery, junction box, and the inverter.
The EF01 is scheduled to participate in the Formulec World Series in 2012 in an effort to establish the series as the first electric single-seater competition in the world. For the 2012 season, 10 races are expected to take place with the target for 2013 allowing world class drivers to test their racing know-how on board an EF01.
The end result – or goal – is to create the 2014 Formulec World Championship, which will be participated in by automakers and their newly built and developed electric racers.
The future of electric single-seater racing has arrived. Whether it shapes up to be the future of automotive racing remains to be seen.
Posted on
05.18.2011 @ 09:18
"north-to-60 mph in just 3 seconds"
haha!
In all seriousness, I’m fully behind a move into an electric racing series. Can’t wait for the 2014 series when hopefullz the technology will have been perfected.