Formula E, the car of the future lands in Rome

Published on Tuesday, 10 April 2018

On 14 April, the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, now in its fourth season, comes to Europe, and in grand style, making its debut in Rome. For the first time ever, the streets of the Eternal City will host the 20 single-seater electric cars taking part in the Formula E race.

The 2.8 km long circuit may not be located in the Rome we know from postcards, but its setting is no less striking: the EUR district, a masterpiece of 20th century rationalist architecture.

The car will race around the obelisk dedicated to Guglielmo Marconi, across the Parco del Ninfeo, along the “Square Colosseum” and past architect Massimiliano Fuksas’s Nuvola, the futuristic conference centre which will host the eVillage. The circuit offers an extraordinary and evocative route, and a metaphysical atmosphere like a De Chirico painting, one that is particularly suited to the silence of electric cars.

This will be a very special occasion for Enel, the Official Power Partner of the series, which will bring technology tested in the previous championship races to the city of its founding and headquarters. A system of innovative glycerine generators and solar panels will transform the circuit into a smart grid, powered by renewable energy that is regulated through our Energy Management System, the software package that supports monitoring and adjustment of real time consumption on tablet or smartphone.

Before the E-Prix, the circuit will host a race for electric Smart cars, sponsored by Enel X, which will also manage their charging.

Enel will organise a series of connected events from 12 to 14 April, including an #EnelFocusOn with digital analyst Brian Solis, a forum on electric mobility and an awards ceremony for PlayEnergy ,the international programme created by Enel to raise awareness of respect for the environment and intelligent consumption in high school students.

The Enel stand at the eVillage will be open from the afternoon of Friday 13 April and throughout Saturday 14 April. Here LED panels will display many of our electric mobility and clean energy initiatives and a selection of our smart solutions, including rapid charge infrastructures, the WallBox – the new home station for domestic recharging – and other innovative products.

To mark the occasion, a further four charging columns will be donated by Enel to the Municipality of Rome to be installed in the EUR area as part of the European project EVA+(Electric Vehicles Arteries).

The city has reacted enthusiastically to the news of the Formula E race: 35,000 spectators are expected for the first Italian E-Prix.  

Now it’s up to the drivers to do their part.

Find out more about the Enel technology behind the ABB FIA Formula E Championship and test your knowledge by playing the game The Circuit.

ENEL