--- title: "Mercedes-Benz’ First All-Electric Racecar Is Equipped Like a Beast" description: "Mercedes-Benz just revealed its first all-electric racecar for the upcoming Formula E series at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show." date: "2019-03-04" modified: "2019-03-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/mercedes-benz-formula-e-racecar" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "formula 1" - "Formula E" - "Mercedes" - "mercedes benz" - "race car" --- # Mercedes-Benz’ First All-Electric Racecar Is Equipped Like a Beast ![Mercedes-Benz just revealed its first all-electric racecar for the upcoming Formula E series at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.]() *\Image: Mercedes-Benz\* ## 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. https://twitter.com/MercedesEQFE/status/1102571288000950272 ## 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]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()