Electric vehicles in motor racing may still be too new a concept for most people to fully embrace outright, but already a series like Formula E continues to gain a wider viewership and interest from manufacturers as a handy showcase of their EV efforts.
One notable exception from that open wheel landscape is Tesla, arguably the maker of the most recognisable EVs in the world. But now with the Model S EGT racer and series being approved by the FIA, the single-model championship is to be the second major entrant.
However, the sport may not stay confined to these specially modified Tesla Model S P100D units as the mid term goal of the newly sanctioned sport would be to encourage more automakers to join in, with the FIA agreeing to the terms of its commencement under the name Electric Production Car Series (EPCS).
Naturally, as more manufacturers throw their hat into this new racing series, certain regulations will have to enacted to ensure all cars adhere to (but not exceed) unified power and performance ceilings to keep the racing tight. Formula E, for example, as does IndyCar, NASCAR, and our own Supercars series, caps individual cars to a certain limit.
Formula E, in particular, provides each team with the same base power unit comprising of core chassis with integrated battery and electric motor. However, with the inaugural season being composed of a grid fully of race-prepared Teslas, the racing should be even closer.
As we’ve previously covered, each Model S P100D has had its output increased to 580kW and 995Nm, meanwhile each car has been stripped of all unnecessary weight with roughly 500kg of heft removed, greatly contributing to the car’s claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 2.1 seconds.
A total of 10 teams have confirmed participation, each with two drivers and two feature races (one in the day, the other at dusk) lasting around 60km each due to battery limitations. The full calendar of races is yet to be announced but will include some well known tracks such as the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain, Estoril in Portugal, Circuit Paul Ricard in France, Autodromo Mugello in Italy, and Germany’s Nurburgring (the short circuit, very likely).
Electric GT Holdings Inc. CEO, Mark Gemmell said: “This is such an exciting day for us as we confirm that the Electric Production Car Series has been officially sanctioned by the FIA. We respect the FIA and we are honoured to have their support ahead of our inaugural season,”
“We are also pleased to officially publish the sporting regulations for the Electric Production Car Series. We have put a lot of time into refining the regulations to allow for competitive and thrilling racing. With a three-heat qualifying system and two EPCS races, plus our eKarting and eSports races, fans will have a lot of racing action to get excited about.”
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