I'm trying but golly it seems slow and the electric drill sound is awful.
I'm sure they'll get the cars faster but the whole swapping cars thing is silly.
I think I'd watch karting. Right turn over to the BTCC.
I watch a bit of it if I catch it when it's on.
That track from the last race was ridiculous and just not a good advert for the sport. Far too tight and that chicane they added due to that bump made it even worse.
I watched it last night and really enjoyed it, I like being able to hear the air vortexes and tyres scrabbling. Yeah that track was bad though, made it look like a novelty event.
It's the future anyway.
sounded and looked like radio controlled cars
no..watch WEC instead for the future of hybrid technology.
Been watching it when i remember. I think its a good start, the tracks need to improve a bit. Am a bit fed up with the old "its quiet" bs. The racing is pretty close and should push electric vehicle technolgy.
Can someone explain to me why anyone should watch it?
It takes the dull aspects of F1 and sucks the colour out of life.
WRC has nose bombed into dullness too. How did that happen?!
Watched it yesterday for the first time coz nothing worth watching on telly at that time.
I like it but for how long I don't know. Track is shite but then I guess they want to attract as many people to see them ...
It takes the dull aspects of F1 and sucks the colour out of life.
I saw some recently - near identical cars appeared to mean close racing and stuff like overtaking happening.
F1 is much more of a wallet contest, big money teams win races and poor teams lose them.
I can't imagine much overtaking on these Mickey Mouse city centre tracks.
[i]I'm trying but golly it seems slow [/i]
Not the bit I've just seen, on the bump park circuit.
Well I'm not sure what I've just been watching but as a bike race fan that second formula e race was some of the best car racing I've watched in a long time.
How could anyone class that as boring?
And what a way to conclude a championship.
I've been out partying but I'll seek out the replay and have a look. Sounds promising. Lots of overtaking then?
Just watched today's race. I thought it was pretty good.
The whole changing cars thing, just shows up the limitations of electric cars though, as they can't go the whole race distance yet.
no..watch WEC instead for the future of hybrid technology.
Love WEC - am I only allowed to watch one or t'other?
I caught a bit of it, but when they're saying how important qualifying is because you can't overtake on that track (and the "highlights" from yesterday were really dull) then I wasn't exactly inspired to watch the race.
I watched about 10 mins then switched over, It's just giant Scalextric.
It's the future anyway.
Probably but how far in the future? Only after there's no such thing as petrol I'd say.
I have watched every race this season which feels weird as I think it started about September last year! Some great races, close racing and fantastic drivers. I wasn't happy with the Berlin circuit but the London track was good and the 2nd race was brilliant.
Looking forward to next year with constructors allowed so it wont be a 1 make series anymore.
Watched it last night and thought the circuit was cr*p just too narrow hardly anywhere to try an alternate line or overtake. When all the cars are equal it has to come down to trying something risky to get into the lead and the course didn't really allow for it.
just shows up the limitations of electric cars though, as they can't go the whole race distance yet.
but so what? it just means the pit stop involves jumping between cars
besides, surely stuff like this will help to evolve the battery technology
Battery tech is going very well, ta. Samsung just added 50% to the capacity, announced yesterday 🙂
Clearly the battery tech isn't there yet but it will get there. I think what they've (wisely) decided to do it set it up so that there's no real chance of a car going flat out on the circuit (hence the rules around max battery usage) and managing it with the car change format.
The circuits are pretty mickey mouse but I think that's based on three things - first that if they raced on F1 circuits, the relative lack of straight line speed / lap time would be very apparent. Second, by racing on tight circuits, the cars' speeds are naturally limited and so the relatively low top speeds (140mph IIRC) is hidden. Finally, city circuits mean people actually see the cars and even at 140mph, a proper racing car looks very quick when you're up close.
But getting the cars racing will improve the tech and TBH I think the relative popularity of it has been a fairly welcome surprise. The batteries will improve to a point where the mid race change will be dropped and speeds will increase. Eventually that'll allow racing on some proper circuits - Monaco would actually be ideal but I don't suppose they'll close the roads for it so maybe one of the other slowish, faux-Monaco circuits like Yas Marina, etc.
nemesis - Member
Monaco would actually be ideal but I don't suppose they'll close the roads for it
They raced Monaco this year but they didn't use the full circuit.
😳 Well I still was really referring to a 'proper' F1 track...
i like it , i just wish the onscreen graphics were bigger, cos its all too small for me to read most of the times.
i think it could do with a few tweeks to the rules to allow more race-strategy , perhaps different tyre compounds / pit stops, boost buttons...
although i think better circuits for overtaking would help a great deal.
plus i'm not keen on the car change - its all done undercovers and nobody sees whats going on, personally i'd have it so they had to remove the battery and put a new one into the same car as part of the pit stop , although its prob. not possible as its so integrated into the car....still.......
they could go really outthere and have like massive LED battery indicator "stripes" on the side of the cars for the spectactors to see, and if they did have boost buttons, some kind of LED lighting for that too.
The hubby and I went to see it at Battersea on Saturday. Battersea Park was an excellent venue for visitors, but the track wasn't a good experience for the drivers. We enjoyed it.
I watched it yesterday, it's different and interesting, it's the first season, I like the idea of city centre racing and being electric the eco crowd can't really argue against it.
Admittedly the track wasn't the best that London could have offered, I think Hyde Park would be a lot better and using Park Lane both ways a real plus.
In comparison to the TT Zero, they are only just going down Bray Hill, look how much faster the TT Zero bikes are now, their next step must be a second lap?
If the cars made the same noise as a 1995 Ferrari F1 car, then I'd watch it. In fact, I'd ditch F1 for Formula E in a heartbeat.
Only after there's no such thing as petrol I'd say.
Won't be that long (potentially in our lifetime and definitely our children's), and it'll become prohibitively expensive before that happens.
Seems the main problem is the overly tight circuits. Let's hope that can be sorted by the organisers.
it could do with a few tweeks to the rules to allow more race-strategy
not quite but maybe close enough...
next year with constructors allowed
... so the cars won't be quite the same, perhaps there will also be tyre selection / changing on the menu
remove the battery and put a new one into the same car as part of the pit stop
Might be some safety issues surrounding a fast battery change, giant lipos can be lethal if they go wrong.
Personally I don't mind the pit stop car jump.
My neighbour works for a company that has quite a lot to do with this Formula-E series.
I think they supply the gearboxes.
I bumped into him yesterday and he was telling me about the London race & that he'd met Boris Johnson who took one of the cars for a controlled lap of the circuit.
Apparently he wanted to go for longer, but they wouldn't let him due to time constraints.
Need to watch the highlights as I think he made it onto the telly.
If the cars made the same noise as a 1995 Ferrari F1 car, then I'd watch it. In fact, I'd ditch F1 for Formula E in a heartbeat.
But that's the problem isn't it? They won't. The cars just seem soulless and undramatic, when compared to a firespitting highly tuned internal combustion engine. There's something truly visceral about flames, heat, and screaming V engines. I'm not sure I could ever get goose bumps from the noise that an electric motor makes, unlike what certain 'old tech' engine noises do to me. A hurricane flew over my head at 100' last week; ain't no brushless lipo motor going to ha e THAT effect on me. Sheer music.
As you say, that's a visceral thing and it's just not going to happen in future - by definition, all that noise is a massive waste of energy.
In person, yeah, loud engines are fantastic and you'll never replace that. On TV, it really doesn't bother me though.
"Only after there's no such thing as petrol I'd say."
Rockplough - Member Won't be that long (potentially in our lifetime and definitely our children's), and it'll become prohibitively expensive before that happens.
simply not true.
we're beginning to see the end of light-sweet-crude, which is why we're drilling in really tricky places, like the gulf of Mexico.
but tar-sand / oil-shale deposits are profitable at around £100/barrel, and there's enough to last us centuries.
we'll have completed the transition to alternatives long before we run out.
we'll [s]have completed the transition to alternatives[/s] be underwater long before we run out.
FIFY 😉