Formula E brings racing back to Switzerland after 60 years

By Stephen Edelstein Published September 22, 2017

It may host the Geneva Motor Show, but Switzerland isn’t exactly known as a car crazy country. It has no major indigenous automakers to speak of, and hasn’t hosted a race in decades. But the latter part is about to change.

Formula E will bring its electric cars to Switzerland June 10, 2018, for a race in Zurich. Series organizers say this “Zurich ePrix” will be the first car race held in Switzerland in over 60 years. While the series is relatively new, Formula E’s use of all-electric race cars continues to open doors.

Recommended Videos

Racing was banned in Switzerland for decades, but in 2015 changes were made to the relevant laws that allowed for electric racing. The last race held in Switzerland was at the Bremgarten circuit in 1954. As with other Formula E races, the venue for the Zurich ePrix will likely be a temporary track laid out on city streets.

The Zurich race will be part of Formula E’s fourth season, which begins in December and stretches to the end of July 2018. The season kicks off with a doubleheader in Hong Kong December 2-3. Other races will be held in: Marrakesh, Santiago, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Rome, Paris, Berlin, New York City (doubleheader), and Montreal (doubleheader).

As automakers gear up to build more electric road cars, Formula E is attracting increased attention from manufacturers. This season, Audi will field its own Formula E team for the first time, and BMW will manufacture powertrains for the Andretti Autosport team for the 2018-19 season. Mercedes-Benz and Porsche will also join the series in 2019. Porsche will race in Formula E in place of its successful 24 Hours of Le Mans campaign, while Mercedes will pull out of the German DTM race series.

Formula E serves as a good marketing platform for automakers’ electrification efforts. Jaguar, which joined the series last year, will sell only hybrid and all-electric cars after 2020. BMW will launch 12 new all-electric models by 2025, and Mercedes will have a hybrid or all-electric version of virtually every car it makes by 2022. The Volkswagen Group, which owns Audi and Porsche, plans to add hybrid and/or all-electric variants to every model in its vast lineup by 2030.

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Topics

Cars

This week in EV tech: Audi exemplifies auto industry’s EV holding pattern

Close-up of 2025 Audi SQ5 grille, headlight, and badge.

The road to the future runs through the present, and it’s not a straight line. This week, we’re focusing on how Audi is negotiating the twists and turns on the way to an electrified future. EVs are here to stay at Audi, but a gasoline crossover SUV is still the automaker’s bestselling model, and it’s not ready to risk those sales just yet. That’s why the 2025 Audi Q5 received a top-to-bottom overhaul for this model year, bringing its tech features and styling up to date without altering the what has proven to be a very popular package. By maintaining parallel lineups of electric and internal-combustion cars, Audi hopes to give customers more choices. But that doesn’t completely level the playing field. The new Q5 may have yesterday’s powertrain, but Audi isn’t holding back on tech. It features the same electrical architecture, operating system, and three-screen dashboard display as the latest Audi EVs, like the Q6 e-tron. So aside from a little engine noise, there’s little difference in what you can see and interact with from the driver’s seat. It’s not just the infotainment systems. The Q5 and Q6 e-tron are close in size, with similar space for passengers across their two rows of seats. The Q6 e-tron has a bit more cargo space, but not as much as you’d think given the lack of a bulky engine, transmission, and driveshafts. The two SUVs also have similar styling but, having now driven both, we can say that the Q5 is the more pleasant of the two.

More than a difference of powertrain tech

Cars

Take a peek inside the factory making tomorrow’s ride

A Zoox robotaxi.

Amazon-owned Zoox has opened its first facility producing fully autonomous robotaxis.

A video (above) released by the California-based company offers a peek inside the factory, which, when it reaches full capacity, could roll out as many as 10,000 autonomous vehicles per year.

Cars

The week in EV tech: 900 miles, 12 minutes—EV charging just hit warp speed

byd 900 miles 12 minutes seal

Welcome to Digital Trends’ weekly recap of the revolutionary technology powering, connecting, and now driving next-gen electric vehicles.
If you’re hesitant about electric vehicles (EV), it’s likely that your top concerns include how far you can drive in a single charge, how long it takes to charge the battery, and how much this advanced tech will cost you. And you're not alone.
According to Deloitte’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study, nearly half of U.S. consumers (49%) still say that available battery driving range is their biggest worry about EVs. That’s followed closely by the time required to charge (46%) and the lingering cost premium (44%) associated with battery electric vehicles.
But that narrative may finally be flipping. Just this past week, two developments showcase how much EV technology has evolved over the past decade: China’s BYD is breaking new grounds on just how far you can drive an EV on a single 12-minute charge. Meanwhile, the Nissan Leaf, seen as the first mass-market EV in 2010, is getting an impressive upgrade even as it remains one of the most affordable options on the market.

BYD’s bold battery bet
Chinese auto giant BYD, already the world’s top-selling EV manufacturer, may have just redrawn the limits of battery performance. According to Chinese media, and other reports, the company is testing a new solid-state battery that can add 900 miles of range in just 12 minutes of charging.
Let that sink in. That’s nearly four times the range of many current EVs—enough to drive from New York to Chicago —and charging that’s as fast as a coffee stop.