Is it possible to build an electric racing car that can replicate the performance of a Formula BMW? Or phrased another way, can a top level global motorsport series for electric vehicles(EVs) similar to Formula One for internal combustion IC) engines be developed that will attract audiences all over the world?
These challenging questions are being addressed by the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), the governing body of all four-wheel motorsports worldwide, after the European Union tasked it earlier this year with building a racing series for electric vehicles. The obstacles facing an EV racing program are reviewed in the cover story of the August 2011 issue of InMotion, the international magazine of the FIA.
The case for an EV racing series is based on the argument that while IC car racing contributes little to the buildup of global greenhouse gases that leads to climate change, the modern interpretation of motorsport demands that technology developed for racing should deliver real world benefits to the automotive industry, society at large, or both, the InMotion article states. Under favorable circumstances, that is difficult enough to deliver, but to do so with a powertrain rooted in the 20th century will be impossible. Moreover, from a commercial point of view, sponsors with green agendas of their own will find it less appealing.
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