The growth of the electric car industry is undeniable, with more and more motorists swapping their fuel-powered cars for electric vehicles. Apart from the fact that charging stations are appearing everywhere, there’s another milestone you can use to measure the electric car industry’s success, and that is motorsports.
With the introduction of Formula E, electric cars have indeed entered the mainstream. Gone are the days of watching traditional cars whiz by as they try to grab the top spot; hyper-charged electric engines are here to make the point that they can be just as good as their fuel-powered counterparts.
Join us as we look at Formula E and what awaits us in this young and developing competition. It’s an ideal sport for sports bettors around the world. Betting on Formula E is offered on many of the same sites that offer online poker and online casino games.
With generous bonuses and on-the-go access, it’s no wonder more and more people are playing online casino games to bring some excitement into their lives. So, while you’re not playing casino games online, you can watch Formula E.
An overview: what is Formula E?
Formula E is effectively what it sounds like: it’s Formula 1 but for electric cars. The idea became a reality in 2011 after several meetings in Western and Central Europe, and it had its inaugural race championship three years later in Beijing, China. Formula E has had FIA World Championship status since 2020.
How Formula E got its start
Formula E’s beginnings were humble; it was supposed to be an environmentally-friendly alternative to Formula One racing, while displaying the potential of future electric vehicles and technology. It started as a simple idea, written on a napkin at a Parisian restaurant one late evening in 2011, and has since become a global phenomenon.
Nowadays, Formula E is one of the world’s most talked about motorsports, spawning over 35 races per year in 13 different cities across the globe. It has even garnered the attention of prestigious car manufacturers such as Audi, Porsche and Mercedes Benz, to name but a few.
How Formula E cars developed throughout the years
Since 2014, Formula E cars have gone through several generations of tech. Formula E is currently in its third generation of vehicles.
Here’s how the development went:
- Generation 1, from 2014-2018: Engines had an approximately three-second acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph), with a FIA-regulated top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph). Motors were allowed to develop 200 kW in race mode, 230 kW in passing mode and 150 kW in power-saving mode.
- Generation 2, from 2018-2022: Gen 2’s engines had improved acceleration, achieving 100 km/h (62 mph) in approximately 2.8 seconds. FIA also increased the allowable top speed to 280 km/h (174 mph). Engines were still only allowed to have 200 kW in normal race mode but were allowed to use 250 kW in boost mode.
- Generation 3, from 2022-present: The current generation of engines enjoys an even higher legal top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph) and 350 kW engine power.
Notable Formula E drivers to watch
It’s to be expected that fans will root for their favorite drivers. If you don’t have one yet and are looking for a reason to support one, here are some top options:
Sébastien Buemi
Born in 1988, Sébastien Buemi is a Swiss professional racing driver who started his first professional tournament at the young age of 10. With many wins under his belt, he currently competes in the FIA Formula E for Team Envision. He was previously a Formula One driver, until 2014.
In the 2017 racing season, he became the first Formula E driver to take home three consecutive wins, and he went on to win three more races that season, in Monaco, Berlin and Paris. Sébastien is still racing for Team Envision, although his teammate left for Team Jaguar.
Lucas di Grassi
Lucas di Grassi is a Formula E driver born in 1984 and currently driving for Mahindra Racing. He became the 2016-2017 Formula E champion and had 13 victories that season. Previously having raced in Formula One, he became interested in Formula E in 2015 but was hesitant at first. He eventually came around to the idea of a more environmentally-friendly form of motorsport to get people to appreciate electric vehicles more.
Lucas has driven many vehicles in his career, from test driving with Pirelli and racing in Porsche Endurance races to racing in the illustrious 24-hour Le Mans race.
Sam Bird
Born in 1987, Sam Bird currently races for the McLaren branch of Formula E. However, his roots go back to 2005 with Formula BMW, where he really made a name for himself by taking home many trophies, including winning the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship. He was also a runner-up in the 2016 Endurance World Championship.
Nowadays, Bird competes actively in Formula E and frequently takes a spot on the podium. With 13 Formula E races under his belt, he is certainly someone to look out for on the racetrack.
Jean-Éric Vergne
Born in 1990 and known as Jev, Vergne started his motorsport journey at the young age of four, when he was introduced to karting. Jev became the first Formula E driver to win two Formula E championships, in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons. Like most Formula E drivers, he competed in Formula One between 2012 and 2014 before jumping ship to electric racecars. With many podium finishes, he is undoubtedly a contender as one of the best Formula E drivers out there.
Mitch Evans
Born in 1994 in New Zealand, Mitch Evans is a serious contender in FIA Formula E. Evans enjoyed a promising start to his career when he became a champion 100cc kart racer. Although he has not yet won a Formula E championship, he has had many podium finishes with his team at Jaguar before finally finishing second in the 2021-2022 season.
Full of potential at 29, Evans can still win a championship based on his previous ever-improving podium finishes.
Final thoughts
Formula E is certainly still a relatively new sport but it’s just as exciting as Formula One. It’s also a much more environmentally-friendly form of racing that uses batteries rather than fuel. Its existence reminds us that when fossil fuels run out, we’ll still have a fun form of high-speed, high-octane racing for everyone to enjoy and watch, albeit in quieter circumstances than before.
