Formula E, the electric version of Formula One (F1), is likely to be powered by solar energy, as the FIA's official partner, Hanergy Thin-Film Power Company, has unveiled its Rapid Deployment Solar System to supply the photovoltaic electricity needed.
The FIA Formula E Championship will hold its inaugural race in Beijing on Saturday Sept. 13, 2014, at the Beijing Olympic Green Circuit, a course laid out entirely on public roads that surround the Olympic Park, where national landmarks such as the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube are situated.
A total of 20 drivers from 10 teams will be racing the Formula E cars at 10 grand prix each year, and accumulate points from each race in the same as their counterparts in the regular F1 Championship.
The international body for auto racing said the decision to choose solar panel maker Hanergy as its official partner was based on a shared intention to "make the race greener."
Dai Mingfang, vice chairman and CEO of Hanergy Thin-Film Power, confirmed that "a shared vision between the two parties" made the partnership possible, but declined to elaborate on how much the deal had cost Hanergy due to corporate secrecy.
In normal sunlight, each Rapid Deployment Solar System is capable of generating 70 KWh of electricity each day, enough to power seven Formula E cars, meaning that a circuit wouldonly need three charging stations to charge all 20 cars.
The system is lightweight ? the panels weigh only aquarter of the weight of conventional crystalline silicon panels. It is flexible, and above all, convenient to deploy, said Zhou Jiesan, another senior official from Hanergy Thin-Film Power.
But the Rapid Deployment Solar System is yet to be tested at the upcoming Beijing ePrix before the charge center will be put to use in the Putrajaya ePrix in Malaysia in November.
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