Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

Renault’s world-leading expertise in electric vehicle technology is on the right track. Literally. At the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, the company revealed its latest model: a single-seater racing car, powered by an advanced 270hp electric motor.

The Spark-Renault SRT_01E has been created for the world’s first pure EV championship. The FIA-sanctioned 2014 Formula E series kicks off next year and will see 20 identical Spark-Renault racers from ten teams taking part.

Recognising the zero-emission status of the 10-round championship, the races will all be held in the centre of some of the world’s largest cities. European races will take place in London, Rome and Berlin while the host cities in Asia are Beijing, Bangkok and Putrajava. When the series moves to the Americas, the teams will race in Los Angeles, Miami, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. The series will be held from September 2014 to June 2015.

Renault Sport drew on its hugely successful experience in Formula 1 when helping to design the classic rear-engined single-seat racers.The Renault electric motor has a peak power output of 270hp (200 kW), all of which can be used for qualifying. For the races, power is limited to 180hp, though ‘push-to-pass’ power boosts up to the full 270hp will be available for overtaking. Top speed will be limited to 200 km/h for maximum safety on the street circuits, but 0-100km/h will take just three seconds.

Safety has been an important consideration during the design process. Like the driver, the car’s battery has its own safety cell to offer maximum protection in the event of a crash.

Next year is going to be a busy one for Renault Sport. As well as the Formula E series, the engineering team has developed the Energy F1 engine, an all-new 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 unit to comply with new Formula 1 regulations. It will be used by the ultra-successful Red Bull F1 team, as well as other teams.

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