Nissan Joins Formula E Racing
There are so many types of motorsports around the world. There’s NASCAR, Formula One, the Grand Prix circuit, Monster Truck rallies… the list goes on and on. One newer racing format fighting to rise in popularity is the all-electric FIA Formula E racing championship. The series hosts race events in popular areas of the world’s biggest cities in an attempt to spread awareness about electric cars. All cars participating in FIA Formula E, from the race cars to support cars, are all electric. This month it was announced that Nissan would be throwing its hat in the ring and submitting a race car of its own.
By joining FIA Formula E, Nissan becomes the first Japanese manufacturer to build a race team. The brand is hoping that by joining this highly-visible global stage, it can spread the word not just about its electric vehicles but also the Nissan Intelligent Mobility strategy for self-driving cars.
“As the ultimate expression of the thrill of instant acceleration and agile handling that’s at the heart of Nissan zero-emission driving, Nissan is going to electrify the Formula E championship.” said Daniele Schillaci, executive vice president of global marketing and sales, zero-emission vehicles and battery business, and chairman of Nissan’s management committee for Japan, Asia and Oceania.
Considering that Nissan’s launch of the Nissan Leaf in 2010 was a turning point in the acceptance of electric cars as mainstream vehicles, it is a bit surprising that it has taken this long for Nissan to join in the fun on the track. Renault has fielded a race team in Formula E for a while, but its Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance partner will hold out until the fifth season of electric car racing begins in late 2018. The two automakers will no doubt be sharing information between Paris and Tokyo while developing the new race car.
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