Silver Arrow

Mercedes-Benz just revealed its first all-electric racecar at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.

The EQ Silver Arrow 01 will be Mercedes-Benz’ entry for the upcoming Formula E racing series at the end of this year — and it’s a beautiful vision of racing machinery beyond the age of fossil fuels.

Already in love with our Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 01 teaser car. #FormulaESoonHasAMercedes #ABBFormulaE pic.twitter.com/VaKv6KWFut

— Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team (@MercedesEQFE) March 4, 2019

Formula E

Formula E contenders are racecars built by automakers including Audi, BMW, Nio, Nissan, and Jaguar. German automaker Porsche is also expected to jump on board for the upcoming season.

Mercedes-Benz’ racecar has some beastly specs: 0 to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and a total weight of nearly 2,000 pounds, largely thanks to the 52kWh battery pack. Top speed: 174 mph (280 km/h).

To put those numbers into perspective: a Formula 1 regulation racecar for the 2018 season had to have a minimum weight of 1638 pounds (734 kg). Their engines achieve close to 1000 horsepower.

A big difference between Formula E and Formula 1 is that automakers in the former are allowed to develop their own drivetrains, as The Verge points out. That’s a big deal for an EV: it means everything hooked up to the battery pack can be determined by each automaker.

Budget Racing

That’s proving to be a big draw for EV automakers: they can use the vehicles to showcase both their drivetrains and electric car offerings.

Formular E’s 2019/2020 season — the sixth so far — is set to kick off in December in Saudi Arabia’s Ad-Diriyah Street Circuit.

READ MORE: Mercedes-Benz reveals its first real all-electric racecar [The Verge]

More on Formula 1: A Guy Trained on Video Games Just Beat a Formula 1 Driver on a Real Track

The post Mercedes-Benz’ First All-Electric Racecar Is Equipped Like a Beast appeared first on Futurism.

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Mercedes-Benz’ First All-Electric Racecar Is Equipped Like a Beast