It’s possibly the ugliest single-seater racing car the world’s ever seen, not to mention the quietest. With its narrow and tall body and tiny wheels it’s disquietingly out of proportion, like the automotive equivalent of a camel.
But the electrically-powered Fondtech E-11 could herald a brave new world in motor racing, and the Formula One car that Sebastian Vettel’s grandson will drive once the world’s oil wells run dry could well look very much like this.
The E-11 is an electric single-seater racer that’s claimed to be as fast around a racetrack as a petrol-powered Formula 3 car. It’s Fondtech’s concept for a future Racing Electric Vehicle (F-REV) championship as being envisioned by the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body.
The FIA hasn’t yet set out any detailed regulations so engineering company Fondtech decided to forge its own path and build a concept racer. Fondtech is run by French motorsport aerodynamicist Jean-Claude Migeot who previously worked in F1 with the Renault, Tyrrell and Ferrari Formula One teams, pioneering the likes of the now de rigueur raised front nose and blown diffuser.
“We hope the vehicle will spark the curiosity and interest of the FIA,” says Migeot.
“E-11 is by no means the pinnacle of F-REV design. Instead, it is a fusion of what is possible today utilising technology still in its infancy and bringing together many untried ideas.”
The all-wheel drive car features a split-level carbon-fibre chassis with energy storage systems and powertrains housed in the lower part and the driver’s survival cell in the upper one, while partially covered wheels contribute to low drag.
Lithium-ion battery cells power four electric motors, one at each wheel, together producing a maximum power output of 300kW. Weighing just 800kg, the car is credited with a claimed 0-100km/h sprint in 3.2 seconds and a 260km/h top speed, with a range of 50km which equates to 12 (very silent) laps around Kyalami. The car will be ready to begin testing in January 2012.
The Fondtech project isn’t connected to the separate French-based Formulec electric-car series which plans a ten-event world tour in 2012, including possibly South Africa, and features more conventionally styled single seaters.