Audi has been showing a lot of interest in electric motorsports over the last year – going as far as quitting Le Mans to focus on all-electric Formula E.

They have been increasing their involvement with the ABT Sportsline team and today, they announced that they are officially taking over the team’s slot. expand full story

The Formula E, an all-electric racing championship, has been gaining a lot of credibility over the last few year with several serious automotive companies, like Renault, Citroen, Mahindra, Jaguar, and Audi already involved in the championship, as well as a few newcomers like NextEV and Faraday Future.

BMW Motorsport has also been involved through its backing of the MS Amlin Andretti team, but now the German automaker is announcing its intention to enter the season 5 of the racing series with its own team now that it has been approved as a manufacturer. expand full story

Roborace, an electric driverless car racing series which is currently still in development, had their first “real” “race” today, driving two DevBots on the same street circuit at the Formula E Buenos Aires ePrix.

The two cars made their way around the track at a cautious yet respectable pace, with the “winner” reaching a top speed of 115 mph. Unfortunately, the losing car didn’t fare so well, getting itself into an accident and taking itself out of the race.

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The all-electric Formula E championship is off to a surprisingly good start since its launch in 2014 considering the level of difficulty associated with establishing a new racing championship.

It is still facing some technological problems, but most of them should be solved in the next generation of the race cars. We are now seeing the first pictures of the new concept. expand full story

While Formula E’s electric race car platform is still arguably in the experimental phase and not enough subsystems can be modified, the championship certainly appears to be moving in the right direction. We recently learned that McLaren will soon supply them with a new battery pack technology with the help of Lucid Motors and it should double the energy capacity of the vehicles, as well as help the overall performance.

Several serious automotive companies, like Renault, Citroen, Mahindra, Jaguar, Audi are already involved in the championship, as well as a few newcomers like NextEV and Faraday Future. The latter released today the specifications of their own Formula E electric race car. expand full story

Considered part of the “Triple Crown of Motorsport” alongside the Indianapolis 500 and Monaco Grand Prix, the Le Mans 24 Hours race, started in 1923, is one of the oldest and most prestigious races in the world.  Teams are allowed three drivers and must race to complete the most laps over a 24 hour period, which means that winning cars must show exceptional performance, reliability and efficiency.

As a result of this, the race has been used as a proving ground for many technological advancements, most recently the appearance of hybrid electric vehicles which first raced in 2009 and have won the race every year since 2012.

Audi has absolutely dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans ever since they returned to the race 18 years ago.  With 13 wins in those 18 years, they have been the manufacturer to beat at the race. In particular, they are credited with heralding the “diesel era” of the race, leading to diesel-engined winners from ’06-’11, and diesel-electric hybrids from ’12-’14.

So today’s announcement that they would quit the World Endurance Championship and the Le Mans race comes as a bit of a shock. Or does it? expand full story

In advance of Formula E’s 2017-2018 season start this Sunday in Hong Kong, news came today that Mercedes has signed an “option agreement” reserving their position as one of 12 teams for the 2018-2019 season, up from 10 teams this season.

Mercedes joins a growing list of manufacturers involved in Formula E – Renault, Citroen, Mahindra and NextEV are already team title sponsors, with Jaguar, Audi, and Faraday Future all joining this year, and McLaren recently beating out Porsche and current supplier Williams to supply batteries for the series in the future.

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Earlier this year, McLaren confirmed its development of new hybrid powertrains to be introduced in its vehicle lineup and that it was even considering building an all-electric version of the P1 or P1 GTR. Now McLaren will have a great opportunity to showcase its battery technology as it was announced that the British-based automaker won a contract to supply the battery pack for upcoming seasons of the Formula E championship. expand full story

For the last two years, Formula E’s season-ending double-header, with two races on the same weekend, took place in London’s Battersea park.  But today, Formula E confirmed that the 2016-2017 season finale will be moved to New York City, taking place in Red Hook, Brooklyn in mid-July.  The race will be run on city streets near Pier 11 and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.  It will be the first FIA-sanctioned open-wheel race ever to take place within the five boroughs of New York City. expand full story

Porsche claims that its upcoming first electric vehicle, the Mission E, will be equipped with a new 800-volt charging technology capable of charging a significant battery pack to 80% in just 15 minutes. The Mission E is expected to hit the market by the end of the decade.

If successful, it would be an important step forward for electric vehicles, but the technology could also enable new applications in other segments than passenger cars. For example, it would be very useful to the all-electric championship Formula E and now the German automaker is reportedly seeking to supply the competition with its new battery technology. expand full story