Here are the highlights of the first fully electric Formula E Championship in Beijing. The race was won by Audi Sport ABT driver Lucas di Grassi who also drove an Audi R18 e-tron quattro diesel-electric hybrid at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans.The race included a spectacular crash.
The 270 horsepower cars are limited to 140 mph to preserve their battery packs. Cars can race for 20 to 30 minutes on a single charge. The implementation of efficiency-focused rules meant that hree drivers were given time penalties for using more than the allotted 28-kilowatt-hours to finish the race. Each of the 10 teams in Formula E fields two drivers, each of which gets two cars, leaving one to switch to when the starting car runs out of electricity.
The next round of the Formula E Championship is the Putrajaya ePrix in Malaysia on November 22. There will also be two races in the U.S.–in Miami on March 14, 2015, and Long Beach on April 4–before the season finale in London next June.
