Has Formula E's electric racing lived up to the hype?

"Drive The Future".

That was nan tagline erstwhile motorsport's governing body, nan FIA, launched Formula E successful 2014 - a caller racing bid that was astatine nan forefront of nan electrical revolution.

The title aimed to musculus successful connected nan scenery that nan soul combustion motor has dominated, introducing a younger assemblage to a much sustainable title while showcasing nan imaginable of battery-powered cars.

In 2015, Sir Richard Branson, who was a backer of 1 of nan original 10 teams, Virgin Racing - now known arsenic Envision Racing - felt Formula E would beryllium much celebrated than Formula 1 wrong 5 years.

A decade connected from nan sport's debut, and pinch nan 10th play astir to scope a conclusion pinch a double-header successful London this weekend, really acold has it come?

"A batch of group cognize now that 'electric Formula 1' is Formula E," Brazilian Lucas di Grassi, who won nan drivers' title successful play three, tells BBC Sport.

"The title was a start-up; now it’s a consolidated, multi-continent, multi-national, multi-manufacturer bid that still has a batch to improve, but has grown massively from nan start."

The thought for an all-electric thoroughfare circuit title was scribbled down connected a napkin astatine a Paris edifice successful 2011 by laminitis Alejandro Agag and erstwhile FIA president Jean Todt.

While nan attraction was very overmuch connected biology sustainability during its inaugural season, Formula E main executive serviceman Jeff Dodds believes nan sport's halfway values person evolved since then.

"I would opportunity now that's broadened retired to beryllium much societal and biology sustainability," Dodds tells BBC Sport. "So you'll spot america focusing much connected a lasting bequest wherever we race."

In immoderate sport, broadcast is king. Getting a awesome transmission to beryllium nan location of what organisers are trying to marketplace to nan fans - and nan sponsors - is simply a cardinal portion of nan maturation puzzle.

The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 person each taken turns astatine hosting nan bid connected terrestrial television. In December 2023, Formula E announced a woody pinch TNT Sports successful nan hunt for a imperishable residence, placing play 10 down nan paywall successful nan UK. However, nan London finale will beryllium free-to-air successful nan UK connected Quest.

Not expanding nan assemblage is nan "biggest problem" nan athletics has, suggests McLaren Racing main executive Zak Brown.

"Definitely much free-to-air," he says, pointing to really that mightiness change. "Right now, nan fanbase isn’t large capable to… inclination fans are not going to stumble crossed it. That's what it needs to activity on."

Dodds cites nan finance TNT Sports has made into nan on-screen accumulation of Formula E, on pinch deals that person been done pinch large broadcasters successful countries for illustration China, Japan and India - places nan athletics presently races in. But successful its eagerness astatine nan commencement to build a following, bouncing astir UK TV channels was much of a hindrance than a help.

"You don't want anybody successful immoderate of our premier markets asking nan question, 'where tin I watch it?' That's a beautiful bad result for a sport. So that's a problem that we person to lick successful a semipermanent way," says Dodds.

Following nan play opener successful Mexico successful January, Formula E announced that TV audiences successful nan UK had accrued by 29% connected nan erstwhile campaign's opening viewing figures.

"It has nan model to beryllium successful, but to move nan area to really beryllium commercially successful it needs to person a much accordant and amended almanac and much accordant and amended television," Brown says.

The lure of electrical invention was still a agelong measurement disconnected for mean roadworthy users erstwhile Formula E arrived connected nan segment 10 years ago.

"Back then, anybody who talked astir electrical cars were either crazy aliases greenish activists," says ABT Cupra driver Di Grassi.

As of nan extremity of June 2024, location are much than 1.145 cardinal afloat electrical cars connected UK roads.

When nan bid started, each teams were fixed nan aforesaid Spark-Renault SRT 01E car, pinch F1 giants McLaren and Williams progressive successful processing nan electrical motors and batteries.

However, an early drawback was 'range anxiety', aliases nan battery's comparatively short life. When a driver came into nan pits during an E-Prix, for example, alternatively of changing tyres, they would person to jump retired and switch complete to a new, afloat charged car.

"I deliberation nan exertion continues to create astatine a accelerated pace, nary different from mobile phones: utilized to beryllium a brick, now it’s connected your wrist. The aforesaid trajectory of artillery technology," says McLaren main Brown.

Another hurdle nan athletics had to navigate successful its pursuit of caller fans was speed. The first procreation of car reached a apical velocity of 140mph - a agelong measurement disconnected nan 186mph scope of an F1 car successful 2014.

The 2nd exemplary saw speeds accrued to astir 173mph - and mid-race swaps were dumped.

Now nan existent iteration, nan 'gen 3' car, has upped nan ante to 200mph acknowledgment to a caller beforehand powertrain and faster charging capabilities.

"A awesome portion of motorsport survives because motorsport is simply a laboratory for technologies," says Di Grassi.

While nan athletics has consistently pushed nan boundaries of electrical racing, Di Grassi feels a Formula E car has nan imaginable to spell moreover quicker.

"Having a accelerated and a performing car is very important for nan nationalist cognition towards really they admit nan sport," Di Grassi adds. "So for me, yes, pinch nan capacity of nan car, location is simply a nonstop relationship to engaging nan fans."

From nan outset, Formula E aimed to pull nan champion drivers and motorsport manufacturers.

British shaper Jaguar made a return to competitory racing for nan first clip successful 12 years successful play three, while titans Audi, BMW and Mercedes entered nan title to a immense fanfare, pinch nan Mercedes-EQ squad winning back-to-back driver and squad titles successful nan 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.

However, nan 3 German marques had each departed nan bid by nan commencement of nan 2022-23 run to ore connected different projects, leaving questions lingering arsenic to whether nan athletics could genuinely scope nan heights of nan F1 juggernaut.

Like Jaguar, Porsche came retired of an moreover longer single-seater racing hibernation - 30 years to beryllium nonstop - to subordinate Formula E 5 years ago. The Stuttgart-based shaper has committed to nan athletics until 2030 - truthful why has Porsche stuck astir erstwhile its German rivals person agelong said goodbye?

"If racing is successful your DNA, for illustration Porsche, and you're going to beryllium producing only electrical cars, past it's perfectly logical to title successful a world title that's electric," says Dodds. "So, location are immoderate group that are successful it for their culture, for their DNA."

Formula E heads into a caller era from 2026 pinch nan 'gen 4' upgrade already successful improvement for play 13 and beyond. As good arsenic Porsche, Nissan and Jaguar person besides put pen to insubstantial to stay successful nan series.

When Mercedes withdrew from Formula E, McLaren Racing stepped successful to get nan world champions and participate themselves.

Brown says "sustainability" was a large factor. "We return that very seriously," he adds.

"It's for illustration why we're successful America. F1 is really large successful America but IndyCar gives america icing connected nan cake. Sustainability, doing awesome successful F1, very important to us; Formula E gives america different icing connected nan cake."