The 2022 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will get underway this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before making its way to nine different cities ahead of the final race in Seoul, Korea on August 14. Along with the cars, teams and drivers, one new addition will remain constant throughout the season, the Porsche Taycan Official Safety Car.
“We’re proud that Formula E has entrusted a Porsche with this task – one that is important for the safety of its drivers,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “With the Taycan Turbo S as the official safety car, we’re making an important contribution to track safety and also underlining the importance of Formula E for Porsche Motorsport.”
The ninth FIA-sanctioned race of the season will be held in Vancouver, Canada this year, from June 30 through July 2, alongside the Canadian E-Fest, which is a unique festival that combines a creative business conference on sustainability with an esports tournament, plus more. Tickets, which start at only $70, can be acquired directly from the Canadian E-Fest website.
The Canadian E-Fest event will be set up in Vancouver’s False Creek area, next to city centre business and residential districts, but unlike the Champ Car race weekends held there 18 years-plus prior, there shouldn’t be any complaints about noise violations from local residents, due to the near silent operation of the Formula E cars.
“Formula E is delighted the Porsche Taycan Turbo S will serve as the Championship’s safety car from Season 8,” said Jamie Reigle, CEO of Formula E. “The Porsche Taycan Turbo S is the pinnacle of high-performance electrified vehicles and will light up Formula E city racetracks around the world. In designing the Formula E safety car, Porsche reimagined the critical on-track safety function to be a powerful symbol of the championship’s commitment to an electrified future and the unity of the competitors in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.”
The 2022 Porsche Taycan Turbo S that serves as the base for the new Formula E Safety Car is whisper quiet as well, and that’s despite 750 hp (with Overboost) and 774 lb-ft of torque. The car can sprint from zero to 100 km/h in only 2.8 seconds when its Launch Control feature is engaged, plus it moves off the line to 160 km/h in a scant 6.1 seconds. The new Taycan Turbo S starts at $218,000, but it’s possible to get into a 2022 Taycan for as little as $119,900.
Story credit: Trevor Hofmann
Photo credits: Porsche
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