Formula E Championship Races Into Red Hook
The electric cars that will be racing in this weekend’s FIA Formula E Championship at Red Hook’s Brooklyn Cruise Terminal were unveiled this morning.
The FIA Formula E Championship is the world’s first fully-electric, single-seater racing series. The featured cars are 100-percent electric racing vehicles, powered by a “state-of-the-art battery and motor technology – producing zero emissions,” a NYC Economic Development Corporation, or NYCEDC, statement announcing today’s event says. The cars can speed up to 140 miles per hour in under three seconds!
The ePrix launched in Beijing in 2014 and takes place around the world in cities including Berlin, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Mexico City, Monaco, Montreal, and Paris.
Organizers have been trying for years to find a proper place in New York City to hold its environmentally-friendly race. Governors Island and Liberty State Park (in New Jersey) were considered and ruled out, as was Central Park since laying down the temporary 1.2 mile course would have required cutting down some trees, according to Untapped Cities.
The specially-constructed race track features ten turns and winds around Pier 11 and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. The weekend’s ePrix will be the first ever FIA-sanctioned motor race to take place within New York City’s five boroughs.
The NYC ePrix will highlight sustainable technology, electric vehicle technology, and alternative energy solutions—showing possibilities for the future of the motor industry.
NYCEDC and Formula E are offering free passes to community members to the Allianz eVillage, an entertainment area for fans to watch the race, meet drivers, and try race simulators. A few tickets are still available at the following locations:
Red Hook Library, 7 Wolcott Street (at Dwight Street), 718.935.0203
Hours: Monday-Friday 10am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm, Closed Sundays
Contact: Sandra Sutton
Red Hook Community Justice Center, 88 Visitation Place, 718-923-8282
Hours: Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm, Closed Weekends
Contact: Vivian Gordon
Portside New York (aboard the Mary A. Whalen)
Docked at the Atlantic Basin at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, 917-414-0565
Hours: 10am to 6pm
FIA Formula E NYC ePrix
Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, 72 Bowne Street (between Commerce & Verona Streets), Red Hook
Saturday, July 15 at noon
Sunday, July 16 at noon
Tickets $34 to $85
