First Electric Vehicle Racing Series Launches

The EV Cup, the world’s first circuit race series exclusively featuring electric vehicles, unveiled plans for the launch of its inaugural 2011 season. 

The groundbreaking seven-race "green motorsport" series will include two principle classes of zero emission electric cars–the City EV cars, where drivers will compete in carbon-free, race-prepared urban THINK cars, and the Sports EV class, which will feature teams racing 185 KPH Westfield iRacers. 

A third category, the Prototype EV class, will not feature races, but rather base its results on time trials that showcase the latest non-production electric vehicles on circuits through street and race courses.

Planned races in the EV Cup are being staged in the UK, Portugal, Spain, and the United States, with a city street race also expected to take place in the near future. Race day will include qualifying rounds and all car batteries will be recharged at on-site facilities. Each sprint race will be contested over 20 to 30 minutes of competitive laps.

“The electric car is already changing the world and soon will begin to revolutionise the face of traditional motor-sport across the world by embracing the issues of the day from straightforward zero emissions, to eco-friendly cars, sustainability and corporate social responsibility,” said Sylvain Filippi, Director of the EV Cup. “We are creating an opportunity for the EV manufacturers and suppliers to promote their technologies in a new and exciting way. Green motor sport is a reality.”

“The EV Cup is a ground-breaking concept that creates unique marketing and sponsorship opportunities for major brand advertisers, through social responsibility programmes and other marketing initiatives,” said Peter Kenyon of CAA Sports, which has partnered with the EV CUP. “We look forward to utilizing our resources across the globe in sports and entertainment to help build the EV Cup into a premier racing series and valuable advertising platform.”

“Motorsport still offers the purest research and development platform to deliver the true potential of electric power and dynamic energy recovery; perhaps to a level that will shame the carbon combustion engine the way rubber tires did the wooden cartwheel," said Ben Collins, who appeared in the popular television series Top Gear and plans to be a regular EV Cup driver. "With a dedicated racing series that encompasses both road and racecar development, the next steps will be more like a quantum leap.”