2018/19 Formula E Nissan Revealed at Geneva Motor Show

[2112]

Actually, ALL of the manufacturers involved in any series that purports to demonstrate their commitment to 'Clean Green Electric Vehicles' are so hypocritical it's not remotely funny.
If they are serious how about they cease building and selling environmentally unfriendly barges.
Counting the number of fat gas guzzling and expensive 'Sport Utility Vehicles' on our roads is a good indication of the cynicism behind the facade of a series such as Formula E, Nissan build huge numbers of these 'Toorak Taxis' that only see suburban road action, as do Mitsubishi, Ford, GM, Dodge, Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, Range Rover........the list goes on and on.
Much to my intense disgust the two biggest selling vehicles in Australia for the past couple of years have been Ford and Toyota 'trucks'.
Consider for a moment the impact of the 'SUV', heavy fuel consumption, greater use of raw materials including rubber, cluttering up already crowded urban roads and parking space etc.
Until manufacturers who are touting their 'E Car' projects such as FE then this is all just BS.

I have to agree with this. If auto makers were truly interested in "Green" they would stop building vehicles of all sorts that are not green. Every one of the auto makers involved in FE build vehicles that far outstrip any of the feel good vibes they hope to engender with involvement in FE.

Nissan brings up their Leaf, yet they still insist upon selling trucks and SUV's that, if nothing else, erase the good that the Leaf may bring. Then they sell a car with a range that seems to be less than that of a toddler in a playseat. If any of the automakers were really interested in making a difference they would:

1) Stop marketing and selling the aformentioned gas hogs as everyday drivers.

2) Start selling e-vehicles that have the range and "re-fill" capabilities of a petrol vehicle. As of now the range of cars like the Leaf is a no-go for many commuters, especially in regions like the American West where people may work up to 100 miles away from where they live. For example: Since 2003, my one-way drive has been no less than 75 miles. Anywhere you find high housing prices you will have commuters with long commutes that a Leaf simply is not capable of doing. A Tesla can do it but most of the commuters, such as myself, simply cannot afford them.

3) Follow Tesla's lead and start making vehicles that are actually easy on the eyes. The Prius, Leaf and Volt seem to have been designed to deter interest in e-vehicles for car nuts. The Tesla is a nice car but, again, the price...

4) Get the FE series off of the tiny tracks and put them on established tracks. If they want the normal race fan to watch they will race the cars on tracks such as Spa, Road America, Nurburgring, etc...instead of the narrow slots being used now. If the distance of the real tracks is too much then start making cars that can do the distance. As of now the tiny tracks make mockery of racing.

E-vehicles have a lot of upside but the auto makers need to stop dallying with the concept and jump in with both feet. This dalliance, and the unwillingness to stop selling gas-hogs merely belies the concept that green is good, and looks like a sop to dilettantes.

 

[Damage Inc]

I have to agree with this. If auto makers were truly interested in "Green" they would stop building vehicles of all sorts that are not green. Every one of the auto makers involved in FE build vehicles that far outstrip any of the feel good vibes they hope to engender with involvement in FE.

Nissan brings up their Leaf, yet they still insist upon selling trucks and SUV's that, if nothing else, erase the good that the Leaf may bring. Then they sell a car with a range that seems to be less than that of a toddler in a playseat. If any of the automakers were really interested in making a difference they would:

1) Stop marketing and selling the aformentioned gas hogs as everyday drivers.

2) Start selling e-vehicles that have the range and "re-fill" capabilities of a petrol vehicle. As of now the range of cars like the Leaf is a no-go for many commuters, especially in regions like the American West where people may work up to 100 miles away from where they live. For example: Since 2003, my one-way drive has been no less than 75 miles. Anywhere you find high housing prices you will have commuters with long commutes that a Leaf simply is not capable of doing. A Tesla can do it but most of the commuters, such as myself, simply cannot afford them.

3) Follow Tesla's lead and start making vehicles that are actually easy on the eyes. The Prius, Leaf and Volt seem to have been designed to deter interest in e-vehicles for car nuts. The Tesla is a nice car but, again, the price...

4) Get the FE series off of the tiny tracks and put them on established tracks. If they want the normal race fan to watch they will race the cars on tracks such as Spa, Road America, Nurburgring, etc...instead of the narrow slots being used now. If the distance of the real tracks is too much then start making cars that can do the distance. As of now the tiny tracks make mockery of racing.

E-vehicles have a lot of upside but the auto makers need to stop dallying with the concept and jump in with both feet. This dalliance, and the unwillingness to stop selling gas-hogs merely belies the concept that green is good, and looks like a sop to dilettantes.

yup I totally agree with both of you, 99% of adverts on UK tv are for sodding SUV things. Big, gas guzzling twat mobiles.

on the original topic, car looks nice (apart from Halo), but I'd still rather wax me nads than watch Formula E!

 

[NASCRAP]

3) Follow Tesla's lead

Following Tesla's lead means raking in millions in corporate welfare to make unsafe, inefficient, and impractical status symbols for wealthy elites who want to virtue signal on the road -- in their "green" vehicles constructed of toxic materials mined in China -- a country with no real environmental or worker safety enforcement to speak of.

 

[function9]

Crazy thing is that car was running the whole time during that video.

 

[Troy Barman]

And you insulted everyone at Formula E and all of its fans ... but suddenly you just forgot that.
Your behavior reflects who you are ...

To the topic if Formula E is trash:
There is plenty of action around the track, aswell as strategic opportunities - exactly what racing makes exciting and why people are watching.
Square tracks? Chicanes everywhere, so no normal corners? I don't see any on the actual calendar.
Yes there are more dives in this series than ie. in Formula 1, but suicidal is none of these dives and many of the dives simply happen because the driver behind does not lift at that moment to save energy (going for the overtake) as opposed to car infront - it looks like a dive but most of the time it is not a normal dive but a side effect of that much energy saving.

I don't have a problem that it is just simply not what you like to see, calling it trash because of that is bullshit though. Your behavior reflects who you are ...

I gave my opinion and you took it personally, I cant do anything about that. Lets take a look at the next track map then.

13 of the 20 corners are hard 90 corners and this is one of the better ones. Rome's track is the embodiment of the typical Formula E track, I mean you cant possibly tell me this looks like an awesome track to drive let alone race on.

17 of the 21 turns are just sharp 90s!! The tracks are setup up to only have overtaking on hard braking zones, thats it. And there is no real strategy, from the few races ive seen all the cars run out of juice at damn near the same time, sure maybe a few can go an extra lap. I give credit to Formula E for getting rid of the mandatory 2 minute pit time as it made an advantage of a fast switch completely pointless.

 

[Bernd Graf]

Suggested emendation for the opening sentence:

"Formula E, if nothing else, is an opinion-dividing racing series..." etc. ad infinitum.


From the mind of a professional writer who masquerades as a sim racer.

 

[pjlee1998]

I gave my opinion and you took it personally, I cant do anything about that. Lets take a look at the next track map then.

13 of the 20 corners are hard 90 corners and this is one of the better ones. Rome's track is the embodiment of the typical Formula E track, I mean you cant possibly tell me this looks like an awesome track to drive let alone race on.

17 of the 21 turns are just sharp 90s!! The tracks are setup up to only have overtaking on hard braking zones, thats it. And there is no real strategy, from the few races ive seen all the cars run out of juice at damn near the same time, sure maybe a few can go an extra lap. I give credit to Formula E for getting rid of the mandatory 2 minute pit time as it made an advantage of a fast switch completely pointless.

Have a look at this, by your definition 6 of the 11 corners are 90 degrees:

Turn 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are all (by your definition of calling a chicane two 90's) 90 degree corners. And that is considered one of the greatest circuits in the world.
Of course there will be more 90 degree corners. Streets, especially in modern zones, are made up of 90 degree corners to save space and simplify road layouts. Rome I'll admit is a particularly poor circuit, but the racing to date is very exciting and the tech is also.
For me, racing is 70% racing (overtaking, defending, strategy) - isn't that the reason its called racing? I can give 30% to everything else (tech, sound, drivers/ riders, circuit etc). If you're watching it because of sound, the speed a car can get round a corner or the corners made up on a circuit, in my opinion you're watching motorsport for the wrong reasons.

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

i guess the cars would look pretty mickey mousy on "real" tracks with GP lenth layouts like COTA or Nürburg GP or Silverstone. As I said earlier, let's hope the tracks will be a bit wider and the turns a bit smoother for next season. I see the marketing ploy behind racing only in big cities, it just doesn't make for good tracks. I would love to see these cars on the shorter tracks like Brands Indy, Suzuka East, Lime Rock, Knockhill etc. Those would be well suited, I guess and the racing on these tracks/layouts has on average always been good.

 

[Deleted member 205301]

GP de Pau would fit perfectly these cars : short layout, really not wide track, but historic and legendary (and a "real" track) and, as formula-E wants : it's a city ! (so great for green marketing)
@++

 

[pjlee1998]

i guess the cars would look pretty mickey mousy on "real" tracks with GP lenth layouts like COTA or Nürburg GP or Silverstone. As I said earlier, let's hope the tracks will be a bit wider and the turns a bit smoother for next season. I see the marketing ploy behind racing only in big cities, it just doesn't make for good tracks. I would love to see these cars on the shorter tracks like Brands Indy, Suzuka East, Lime Rock, Knockhill etc. Those would be well suited, I guess and the racing on these tracks/layouts has on average always been good.

I assume when we get to Gen3, they will be forced to move to real circuits. If they can't organise 16 events on 1 mile circuits now there is no way they'll be able to on 2-3 mile circuits.

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

GP de Pau would fit perfectly these cars : short layout, really not wide track, but historic and legendary (and a "real" track) and, as formula-E wants : it's a city ! (so great for green marketing)
@++

plus, we had some legendary wtcc battles there within living memory (and a safety car taking out the wtcc leader, will never forget that one ...)

 

[Troy Barman]

Have a look at this, by your definition 6 of the 11 corners are 90 degrees:

Turn 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are all (by your definition of calling a chicane two 90's) 90 degree corners. And that is considered one of the greatest circuits in the world.
Of course there will be more 90 degree corners. Streets, especially in modern zones, are made up of 90 degree corners to save space and simplify road layouts. Rome I'll admit is a particularly poor circuit, but the racing to date is very exciting and the tech is also.
For me, racing is 70% racing (overtaking, defending, strategy) - isn't that the reason its called racing? I can give 30% to everything else (tech, sound, drivers/ riders, circuit etc). If you're watching it because of sound, the speed a car can get round a corner or the corners made up on a circuit, in my opinion you're watching motorsport for the wrong reasons.

Your not taking into account that the width of the track and the actual speed of those corners is far higher than any formula E track.

 

[pjlee1998]

Your not taking into account that the width of the track and the actual speed of those corners is far higher than any formula E track.

Neither were you - all you said was there are 13 90 degree corners. The back part of the Punta del Este circuit is very quick. The width is obviously narrower as it is a street circuit. I'll admit Formula E circuits aren't the most inspiring, but they create much excitement and serve a purpose - to display the technology and the series to the fans.

 

[shimon.ifraimov]

so this design still counts as a formula car?

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

so this design still counts as a formula car?

i wouldn't say so, all four wheels not open? to me it's more a prototype design than a formula design.

 

[Isaac Chavira]

Sexy looking car but I am sure it weighs about 4000lbs.

 

[Ari Antero]

It's missing the regular spoiler at the back, but got biggest diffuser i ever seen on a openwheeler in return.

Once upon a time there was vogue lowline chassis, wide fat tires, tall rear wing`s, huge diffuser`s and bit more HP

 

[Terry Rock]

I'm not...and probably never will be a Formula-E spectator, but that car is actually quite good looking.

 

[larre90]

Design stolen from Praga R1.^^

I somehow do like the futuristic look, but this is no open wheel.

I wonder, if the FIA still considers this car as open wheel.

EDIT:
"Formula" doesn't mean mandatorily open wheel. It's just a word for a rule for design & technical layout. So it can be used in different ways despite the FIA's way of interpretation. Look at Formula D for example. No open wheels at all...

 

[2112]

Following Tesla's lead means raking in millions in corporate welfare to make unsafe, inefficient, and impractical status symbols for wealthy elites who want to virtue signal on the road -- in their "green" vehicles constructed of toxic materials mined in China -- a country with no real environmental or worker safety enforcement to speak of.

I did not mean to follow Tesla's business plan. I meant follow their lead in how they make their cars look. For most of us car nuts we will not buy a car if it does not look good. There is nothing about a Leaf, a Prius or a Volt that says: "Buy me because I will go fast and corner hard!" All three say, ( at least to me): Let's get a latte and go shopping for Birkenstocks. Then we can toodle on over to grammama's house to watch Jeopardy."

At least Tesla, despite how they build their cars or acquire their materials, (which I do not agree with, BTW, but I also believe that hybrids and electric cars in the end, will cause as much harm to the environment as petrol cars, just in a different way), makes nice looking cars.

Why can't Nissan, Toyota and Chevy do the same? If you make then look good, make them cheap to buy, give them more range than a dead snail, more speed, etc...car enthusiasts will not only buy them but they will drive them.

As it is now, electric and hybrids are marketed to niches that do not seem to fit with car enthusiasts.