Audi quits WEC and Le Mans for Formula E!!!

Audi quits WEC and Le Mans for Formula E!!!

Author
Discussion

VonSenger

Original Poster:

2,465 posts

188 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all

hondansx

4,562 posts

224 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
I'd argue the article spelt out very good reasons for doing the switch.

Krikkit

26,500 posts

180 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
4 reasons really:
1) After dieselgate they need to save money, and Porsche are already doing rather well in WEC
2) After dieselgate pushing their diesel turbo engines with motorsport seems a bit weird
3) If Audi beat Porsche one of their brands loses, if Porsche beat Audi one of their brands loses! Why bother?
4) Electric is the future, and they want to try the same trick as they did with diesel for electric cars. FE is the way for that (for now).

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
blame getting caught cheating on emissions and having to pay monumental fines

and also tesla for getting 400k pre orders


so for £20 audi found down the back of the sofa they get a formula e car which they can put giant pictures next to any upcoming e audi. the punters will walk in and go "wow a forumla one car, i have heard of forumla one" and promptly pay list price for the floor model at over inflated APR and buy all the gap and tyre insurance polices.


George111

6,930 posts

250 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
Formula E is a miserable spectacle but so is VW's emissions problem . . . perhaps they need to be seen paying their penance.

VonSenger

Original Poster:

2,465 posts

188 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
Sad state of affairs however it's spun. I honestly believe the ICE is doomed, especially if range increases.

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
VonSenger said:
Sad state of affairs however it's spun. I honestly believe the ICE is doomed, especially if range increases.
i half suspect in 20 years time governments will be scratching their heads wondering how to deal with the huge environmental impact billions of tonnes of batteries has caused, in the same way they are now trying to work out how to undo all the damage encouraging most people to swap over to oil burners has caused

and no one from the government has yet has put forward how you are going to charge 20 million EV's every day or how people who have no private parking are going to even charge them?


SirSquidalot

4,039 posts

164 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
Very sad to see, but i suspect this is the way motorsport will start to go. Big OEM's want to jump on the next big thing and that is Electric cars.

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
Formula E is such a turn off from the spectator's point of view. Pity Audi couldn't concentrate on developing an electric WEC car if that's the technology they want to use.

Otispunkmeyer

12,557 posts

154 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
George111 said:
Formula E is a miserable spectacle but so is VW's emissions problem . . . perhaps they need to be seen paying their penance.
I thought the last race in HK was good! Plenty of crowd there as well.

Otispunkmeyer

12,557 posts

154 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
Dave Hedgehog said:
VonSenger said:
Sad state of affairs however it's spun. I honestly believe the ICE is doomed, especially if range increases.
i half suspect in 20 years time governments will be scratching their heads wondering how to deal with the huge environmental impact billions of tonnes of batteries has caused, in the same way they are now trying to work out how to undo all the damage encouraging most people to swap over to oil burners has caused

and no one from the government has yet has put forward how you are going to charge 20 million EV's every day or how people who have no private parking are going to even charge them?
old EV batts can be re-purposed and recycled. They won't be just binned in a landfill. Grid storage is one use.

VonSenger

Original Poster:

2,465 posts

188 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
Otispunkmeyer said:
old EV batts can be re-purposed and recycled. They won't be just binned in a landfill. Grid storage is one use.
Even with dead cells?? Surely there comes a time when they are useless?

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all

VonSenger

Original Poster:

2,465 posts

188 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
Dave Hedgehog said:
and no one from the government has yet has put forward how you are going to charge 20 million EV's every day or how people who have no private parking are going to even charge them?
Thats a very good point. We have a Leaf but i wouldnt dream of using it to go far and rely on oversubscribed public charging. Also my dad wanted one but without a driveway youre stuffed.

sly fox

2,220 posts

218 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
So Audi marketing budget going towards Formula E now? Hardly massive viewing or attendance figures so it's an expensive route to take.

At least that means that we won't have diesels in WEC (good riddance - spoilt Le Mans for a few years with the Audi 'hoovers' driving by and the rules being set to favour the diesels).
Well done to Toyota and Porsche for developing ICE Hybrid tech for LMP1.

I think it is part of the distraction to make people disassociate them from dag dag cancer engines and emissions scandals surely? Audi marketing machine will kick in big time when the car is launched.


DonkeyApple

54,932 posts

168 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
VonSenger said:
Regardless of the PR drivel spouted by VAG marketing, AUDI were only ever going to stay until Porsche got up to speed. They were never going to have two brands slugging it out.

DonkeyApple

54,932 posts

168 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
Dave Hedgehog said:
VonSenger said:
Sad state of affairs however it's spun. I honestly believe the ICE is doomed, especially if range increases.
i half suspect in 20 years time governments will be scratching their heads wondering how to deal with the huge environmental impact billions of tonnes of batteries has caused, in the same way they are now trying to work out how to undo all the damage encouraging most people to swap over to oil burners has caused

and no one from the government has yet has put forward how you are going to charge 20 million EV's every day or how people who have no private parking are going to even charge them?
The batteries won't be an issue. Only an issue now because it's not economically viable to recycle the cells. In a few years once there are more EVs on the road then the massive increase in batteries expiring will mean recycling them becomes genuinely viable.

Charging won't be an issue as the grid has the night capacity. It's already shown that extensive EV adoption will result in the Grid being more efficient. Plus, the power packs in cars will be integrated into how the household draws power from the Grid.

There will be charging points fitted where people need them and buses to fill in the gaps.

Nothing will stop the march to EV of the Western governments. The black boxes alone that will tax you for the space you take up and tax you for each CM you move and tax you when you draw electricity as well as record your every movement to allow more efficient taxation on your other activities are simply far too much of a boner inducer to people who want to control everything you do and tax you for non compliance to their utopian dream.

And the people will rush headlong to give total control of their lives to these messiahs.

I'm afraid Dave, that your car is utterly unacceptable to a civilised society. The tracking of your activities and movements are too inefficient as are the means to charge taxation.

tomjol

532 posts

116 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
Dave Hedgehog said:
i half suspect in 20 years time governments will be scratching their heads wondering how to deal with the huge environmental impact billions of tonnes of batteries has caused, in the same way they are now trying to work out how to undo all the damage encouraging most people to swap over to oil burners has caused

and no one from the government has yet has put forward how you are going to charge 20 million EV's every day or how people who have no private parking are going to even charge them?
Maybe because the government isn't an EV manufacturer?

hondansx

4,562 posts

224 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
DonkeyApple said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
VonSenger said:
Sad state of affairs however it's spun. I honestly believe the ICE is doomed, especially if range increases.
i half suspect in 20 years time governments will be scratching their heads wondering how to deal with the huge environmental impact billions of tonnes of batteries has caused, in the same way they are now trying to work out how to undo all the damage encouraging most people to swap over to oil burners has caused

and no one from the government has yet has put forward how you are going to charge 20 million EV's every day or how people who have no private parking are going to even charge them?
The batteries won't be an issue. Only an issue now because it's not economically viable to recycle the cells. In a few years once there are more EVs on the road then the massive increase in batteries expiring will mean recycling them becomes genuinely viable.

Charging won't be an issue as the grid has the night capacity. It's already shown that extensive EV adoption will result in the Grid being more efficient. Plus, the power packs in cars will be integrated into how the household draws power from the Grid.

There will be charging points fitted where people need them and buses to fill in the gaps.

Nothing will stop the march to EV of the Western governments. The black boxes alone that will tax you for the space you take up and tax you for each CM you move and tax you when you draw electricity as well as record your every movement to allow more efficient taxation on your other activities are simply far too much of a boner inducer to people who want to control everything you do and tax you for non compliance to their utopian dream.

And the people will rush headlong to give total control of their lives to these messiahs.

I'm afraid Dave, that your car is utterly unacceptable to a civilised society. The tracking of your activities and movements are too inefficient as are the means to charge taxation.
Kill me now.

dvs_dave

8,581 posts

224 months

Wednesday 26th October 2016
quotequote all
I suspect in 10-15 years time VAG will look back at dieselgate and say it was probably the best thing that happened to them.

Seems they are the only major OEM diving headlong into EV's, because of their self created circumstances basically forcing them to.

Every cloud etc.