Prost: F1 will never be an all-electric formula

Mezzer

A fine chap if ever there was one.
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According to Alain Prost in this article: "It will never be totally electric. Never, Not while I'm on this planet... I don't think it is possible. That is really something that we go away from in racing." I think that's a pretty bold and maybe even a little backward statement from Prost, it's very hard to tell where things will be in 10/15/20 years. For myself, I can see it if technology continues in that direction, change happens no matter how much we cry about it. I personally went karting just a couple of weeks ago and for the first time was in an electric kart rather than a "normal" combustion kart. Other than the torque appearing to be better in the electric kart (although perhaps this was only in my mind) I didn't feel any real difference and historically I've done a lot of karting. Yes I appreciate that karts and F1 cars aren't exactly the same, but how different would it really be for a driver?
 
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I think prost is living in cloud cuckoo land, for one thing never is a long time and for another there are already electric sports today for instance the Isle of Man runs an electric motor cycle event and those things are doing pretty bloody good lap times to boot..
 
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"never. not while I am on this planet" ... does not equal "never...ever ever ever ...."
Lets say another 30-40 years tops for the Prof
I would agree with his statement ... "it will never be totally electric" ...

To disagree with this statement I would suggest that you would have to believe that gasoline powered automobiles, trucks and the like would be in the minority during this time frame ... let's say at the end of this time frame ... the Prof's life ... 30-40 yrs from now ... possible ... a tiny maybe ... probably ... not very likely
 
It takes more energy to produce the hydrogen than you get back so not very environmentally sound. Bit like wind turbines, think it takes 10 years to get back the energy used to make them. Unless we move to wave arrays and solar the planet is bollocksed. The strange thing is the countries wedded to shipping us oil could generate more energy through solar than they could ever dig out of the ground and it's almost infinite. If they used it to compress air into it's liquid state they could ship it around the World and we have the cleanest energy ever. You could even sell it at a pump to put into the tank of a car - but that would too simple wouldn't it.

Back to the subject - all electric will happen but, as Prost has said, I doubt in my life time.
 
It takes more energy to produce the hydrogen than you get back so not very environmentally sound. Bit like wind turbines, think it takes 10 years to get back the energy used to make them. Unless we move to wave arrays and solar the planet is bollocksed.
Or indeed a Prius and solar panels actually produce more of a carbon footprint in manufacture than they save in the life time of the unit so even they have a negative impact...
 
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I'm not convinced that anyone would watch an all-electric F1. After all, electric cars are silent and one of the great attractions of F1, at least to me, is the SOUND. Or would Bernie, who may still be around in 30-40 years, might mandate another layer of artificiality by requiring soundtracks for each car?
 
I'm not convinced that anyone would watch an all-electric F1.
Sorry, but IMO that's a ridiculous statement. We're now in a world where kids have always had 10 million TV channels available, they're playing touch screen apps on phones, tablets and PCs, things that were only in sci fi films when we were growing up. They've always lived in an increasing electronic age and new things aren't scary to them, they're the next generation of viewers. I watch for the racing, the sound of the engines is nice but I certainly wouldn't stop watching if it went away.
 
Although rapid charge technology could be a trickle down to common use, being as this is one of the key drawbacks of electrical powered cars. And the use of structural batteries could also lead the way for other developments. Personally, I dont see why F1 should not go electric, as it could seriously encourage innovations, but lets see how Formula E gets on first.

Never say Never
 
For me, sound in motor racing is essential. To this day, I can still recall the wretched Matra MS11, which was as fast as a milk float but generated the MOST amazingly beautiful exhaust shriek I have ever heard. Except for that, the car would have vanished from all recall decades ago!
 
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