Tron-style electric scooters will feature in the Electric Scooter Championship (eSC), an event launched by a team of motorsports enthusiasts including Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi and ex-Formula 1 driver Alex Wurz. Details are yet to be finalised, but the group says the event will launch sometime in 2021.
The newly announced deal will see Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) exclusively developing and supplying the eSkootr chassis, battery system and powertrain for the eSC’s first two seasons.
“Williams Advanced Engineering has already demonstrated its pioneering approach to battery powertrain solutions in other motorsport series,” says Iain Wight, the business development director at Williams Advanced Engineering.
“The opportunity to further explore the sector with the eSkootr and eSC provides an opportunity for us to refine the packaging, ergonomics and systems required for deployment on a micromobility scale.”
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The eSC has been designed to “champion progressive micromobility policies and as an advocacy platform promoting smarter, cleaner and safer mobility in our cities,” the founders say.
WAE has already begun development of a high-performance electric scooter prototype that they say will be capable of achieving speeds of more than 100km/h (60mph) and accelerate faster than most road cars.
WAE will now continue to test their design on a series of newly developed micromobility race circuits, before supplying all entrants with finished models.
“Make no mistake this is a very high-performance model: some of the cornering and acceleration figures that we’ve simulated are really quite extreme. It’s like nothing that’s ever been seen before,” says Wight.
“It’s clear that micromobility will play an increased role in the urban lives of millions of people, and the eSC provides a fantastic opportunity for manufacturers to develop and showcase new technology before it’s brought to market.”
3 more all-electric racing events
1
Extreme E
This off-road, all-electric racing series will tour the planet’s most remote places in 2021, spreading awareness of the changing climate. Lewis Hamilton has launched his own team that will take part in the series.
2
Andros Trophy
This series has grand ambitions of taking electric cars ice racing. It’s a big sport in Scandinavia where new electric cars are being bought faster than anywhere else in the world.
3
MotoE
After a rocky start (a fire burned down all the bikes after a charger short-circuited), this new event rose from the ashes this year to become the motorbike equivalent of Formula E.