Here’s what to know about Formula E coming to Vancouver

Just days after Montreal cancelled its 2021 F1 race, the Vancouver city council passed a motion to try and host its first-ever Formula E race next year. Now, it’s up to city staff to work with race organizers and get things set in stone. But, since the city is now on board, we think it’s good to give an overview of just what the heck Formula E is, and why we think Vancouver’s a good choice.

Formula E is an all-electric racing championship that officially got off the ground in 2014. The championship currently has 12 teams with 2 drivers apiece, and races take place all over the world. In fact, Montreal was the last Canadian city to host a Formula E race, for the season finale in 2016/17. So right off the bat, we think that it’s overdue for a return.

The cars themselves currently have around 300 horsepower on average, between qualifying and race output. Now that’s nowhere near the level of F1, we admit. But at the moment it’s not necessary, since the cars can still reach speeds up to 280km/h, and the majority of tracks are on city streets. Vancouver will fall into that category as well, by the way.

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That’s because the current race is scheduled to take place around the False Creek area, stretching from BC Place to Science World. Featuring long straights, hairpin turns and chicanes, the circuit actually looks pretty good, compared to any other on the 2021 calendar. Fun fact- similar layouts were used for 14 years when Vancouver hosted car races in the 90s/early 2000s.

Now, for the other part of the plan. In addition to the race itself, Formula E also exists to showcase the insane speed at which electric vehicle technology grows. So, there would also be a convention on EV ahead of the race itself. Considering Vancouver’s love of Tesla (and we don’t blame it), we think this would go over very well.

Selfishly, we just want Vancouver to host another professional race in the city, and we think that Formula E would be the perfect fit. Some crazy cars zipping around in the city of glass, and they’re all-electric? It’s a match made in heaven.

For more info, you can check out the recap of the city council meeting right here.