This past weekend's Formula E automobile race marked the first time a race was held involving all-electric cars exclusively.
The race was held in Beijing, China, which is the first of 10 cities that will host the Formula E Championship from now until June, according to NPR. The races are being held to increase sales and get more people interested in electric vehicles.
10 teams, each with two drivers, were involved in the 50-mile race, which was held on a track set up around Beijing's Olympic Stadium, a.k.a. the Bird's Nest. The Formula E race cars feature aluminum and carbon fiber chassis, as well as a top speed of over 150 miles per hour (mph). They can also go from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds.
The winner of the race was Lucas di Grassi from Audi Sport ABT, who competed in last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans race with an Audi R18 e-tron Quattro diesel-electric hybrid, Green Car Reports said. Other competitors included fellow Audi Sport ABT driver Daniel Abt, e.dams Renault's Nicholas Prost, Venturi's Nick Heidfeld, Amlin Aguri's Katherine Legge and Virgin Racing's Jaime Alguersuari.
Two cars are provided to each team, and the drivers switch between them when one begins to run out of electricity.
Legge said two cars are used because their batteries only put out 28 kilowatt-hours, so the drivers have to conserve energy while going fast, NPR reported. The cars' brakes and clutch are used to charge the battery.
"What we're trying to show to the world is electric vehicles can be fast, they can be sexy, they can be cool," said John Wright, head of Venturi's business operations.
"And we want the next generation - I guess guys who are in their teens now, teenagers - their first car that they buy, we want that to be an electric vehicle," he added.
Wright also mentioned the importance of Formula E's first race taking place in China, which is currently the biggest market for automobiles in the world and is also looking to use electric cars to solve its pollution dilemma.
All teams will be using Spark-Renault SRT_01E open-wheeled cars for this first season, Green Car Reports said. The vehicle has a top speed of 140 mph and can race for 20 to 30 minutes on a single charge.
The Putrajaya ePrix, Formula E's next round, will take place in Malaysia on Nov. 22nd. Two of the championship's races will be held in the U.S., one in Miami on March 14, 2015 and the other in Long Beach on April 4th. The final race will be held in London in June.
