You're right pete it is almost like watching little RC racing but damn the tech here is cool!
They hit over 100mph (barely as far as I saw on this track), the cars handle awesome, and the competition seems pretty legit.
Why the hell do they have gears though?
Interesting tech here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIA_Formula_E_Championship
"For the first season, all teams have been supplied an electric racing car built by Spark Racing Technology, called the Spark-Renault SRT 01E. The chassis has been designed by Dallara, with an electric motor developed by McLaren (and is the same as that used in its P1 supercar), a battery system created by Williams F1 and a Hewland five-speed gearbox. Michelin will be the official tyre supplier. So far, 42 electric cars have been ordered by the FIA."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spark-Renault_SRT_01E
Power
Max power (limited): 200 kW (268 hp), approx 230 N·m (170 ft·lbf) torque (estimated)[18]
Race mode (power-saving): 150 kW (201 hp)
Push-to-Pass: Additional 30 kW (40 hp)
Performance
Acceleration: 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 3 s - Estimated
Maximum speed: 225 km/h (140 mph) (FIA limited)
No tire change is awesome but switching cars seems completely ridiculous. Hopefully battery tech gets better or they do a battery pack swap in the future instead of this.