42 cars have been ordered by Formula E Holdings, the promoter and owner of the series. The cars are being built by SRT (Spark Racing Technologies) with drivetrains by McLaren Electronic Systems - part of McLaren Group.
Formula E plans to host 10 teams, each team will have 4 cars plus there is an official test car and a car will be made available to the FIA for crash tests. Formula E has declared itself an open championship so eventually teams will design and build their own prototype machines but in order to get the series going the teams will use the SRT built cars.
Formula E will feature ten races, each in an urban location. Formula E have suggested races could take place in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Mumbai, Sydney, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Los Angeles. Rio was the first city to formally commit to the series whilst Rome have just announced they will host a race.
Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E said, “We are honoured to have Rome on board as the first European city to host Formula E, since Italy is renowned for its motorsports passion, expertise and technical innovation. Clean urban mobility and sustainability are a priority for our championship, and Formula E wants to become a showcase for these advances through an entertaining and all-inclusive spectacle.”
FIA president Jean Todt added, “The contrast between this innovative motorsport series and the rich, ancient history of Rome is one I am sure the public and the media will be intrigued and enriched by.”
The video below shows a Formula E prototype being driven round the streets of Rome, although we could have done with less annoying soundtrack music and more electric motor whine to see what it will really sound like.
The video below is a year old but gives us an idea of what the Formula E cars will sound like - radio controlled cars!