Faraday Future unveils specs for its Formula E race car

By Gannon Burgett November 15, 2016

Dragon Trailer Main Cut Armando 4

Five months after announcing its partnership with the Dragon Racing team, American electric vehicle startup Faraday Future has released the specs for its Formula E race car.

Faraday Future Dragon Racing Team, as it will be now be called, has broken down the nitty-gritty details of its first Formula E vehicle. The 1,940.1 pound vehicle will be able to hit 0 to 62 mph in 2.95 seconds and have a top speed of 150 mph.

Its maximum power output will be 200kW equating to 270 horsepower and the vehicle will have a max regenerative capacity of 150kW, powered by the brakes as drivers enter corners and chicanes. For comparison, Formula One cars are capable of achieving roughly 750kW, for 1,000 horsepower, and Tesla’s street vehicles only regenerate 60kW.

Power is pushed through Michelin Pilot Sport EV2 tires via a permanent magnet motor and driven by a two-speed paddle shift sequential transmission. The front suspension relies on steel wishbones with pushrod-operated dampers and torsion bars, while the rear suspension adds coil springs to the torsion bars.

Faraday Future Dragon Racing Team expects each vehicle to cost approximately $350,000. Drivers switch out of vehicles midway through each race, meaning at least $700,000 is needed to compete in any given race.

Formula E doesn’t have near the reach of other motorsports, but more manufacturers are becoming interested in the electric-only racing series. Audi, Jaguar, Renault, Mahindra, and others are already participating in the series and legendary automobile manufacturer Ferrari recently hinted at the possibility of making its way to Formula E in the near future.

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