Formula One team to power futuristic electric scooter race series
In case you've lost track of dates, this is no April Fool's jokeFormula One outfit Williams is set to provide batteries for an all-new, sci-fi inspired electric scooter racing series, which is scheduled to begin this year. Organisers are hoping to attract motorcycle racers to compete in the series.
Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) will be the sole battery provider for the eSkootr series, which caters for electric-powered kick scooters. That’s right – we’re talking good old Razor scooters rather than a Vespa. WAE, which is part of the same organisation that runs the Williams F1 team, also provides batteries for the Formula E World Championship.
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The eSkootr series will run on street circuits around the world as a way of promoting accessible, dynamic, and sustainable micromobilty. A one-off prototype was completed in September 2020, with further tests being conducted in January 2021.
“We are delighted to be part of this pioneering race series and have enjoyed the challenges presented by both the packaging and the timing of the programme," said WAE's Iain Wight. "Using our motorsport experience we have been able to deliver a solution that offers not only power and performance, but also safety and reliability which will be critical in a series such as eSC.”
eSkootr founder, Hrag Sarkissian, was equally delighted with the partnership. "We’re delighted to continue our relationship with Williams Advanced Engineering," he said. "We couldn’t have asked for a better partner with whom to develop eSC’s battery technology.
“Our aim now is to ensure this first-spec is working durably, reliably and efficiently for all our entrants ahead of our first race.”
Weighing just 10kg, the 1.kWh-rated batteries from Williams will be tightly packed into the scooter frame and will help the scooter reach speeds of up to 100km/h.
It is expected the batteries will provide about 20 minutes of range, with two power modes available to the riders. There will be a conventional mode and a boost mode which offers maximum power. The boost mode is similar to what is used in Formula E.
The eSC Racing promoters are targeting racing car drivers, on-road and off-road motorcycle racers, surfers, skaters, snowboarders, e-sport gamers, and cyclists to compete in the eSkootr series. Imagery from the series' social media pages shows a sci-fi inspired theme, with futuristic race suits and hand-picked street courses.
Further information and exact dates are yet to be announced, but keep an eye on the official eSkootr Championship website for more.
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