Formula E is not green racing on trial

It is absolutely critical to the future of motorsport that the success or failure of Formula E as a racing spectacle is not regarded as a trial of 'green' racing.

Much as many within motorsport would rather stick their heads in the sand, racing is not insulated from the necessity for the world to wean itself off an oil addiction that has long since become destructive, even if many of the more problematic long-term effects have been deferred.

Climate change is real. The so-called debate is actually that of the prevailing scientific consensus against a minority of dissenters. By all means, let there be evidence-based debate on the cause, effects and potential remedies, but let's not be foolish enough to ignore the problem.

There are arguments to be had about degree and the extent of the consequences of climate change. There are destructive zealots clouding the issue on both sides of the argument. And too often the public debate is defined by a corrosive political, rather than scientific, mindset.

But if motorsport does not make itself part of the solution, it won't just be part of the problem. It won't be anything at all.

And those who remain intransigent, insisting that motorsport must not budge, must not change, must not compromise, are just playing into the hands of those who would see it wither and die.

There is a lot riding on Formula E's debut season © LAT

There will be those who co-opt Formula E to make their own cases.

If the racing is dramatic, some will consider that to show how wonderful greener racing is.

If it is dull, others will say it indicates how the lack of noise and burning oil robs racing of all its appeal and that we should therefore continue to plunge headlong to our own destruction.

Neither is a valid position. If Formula E is a good category to watch it will tell you only one thing: whether it is a well-conceived series.

There are legitimate question marks about just how good Formula E will be for spectators. And it will only be once we've had the chance to judge it over a season that we will get a proper feel for it, starting with the inaugural round in Beijing on Saturday.

Among the positives is that the driver roster is strong, with a good crop of ex-Formula 1 drivers and plenty of others who have shown well at various levels.

The city centre street track concept is a great way to take racing to where people actually are rather than relying on them traipsing out to distant circuits. This will put Formula E in front of far more people than would ever see the average start-up series.

GP winner Jarno Trulli is among the big names backing Formula E © LAT

Controversially, the fact the cars make almost no noise can be seen as a good thing. After all, one of the other threats to motorsport is noise pollution laws, so the possibility of going racing silently certainly has its appeal.

The cars do look suitably space age, recognisably single-seaters but unique enough to communicate that Formula E is something different to the norm. And the need to ration energy should mean that the speed of cars varies over a race distance, which does create overtaking.

This brings us to the first downside: the fact that energy management, early on at least, could prove to be a little too extreme.

This is partly the consequence of the first-generation spec car-engine package being a starting point to be improved on once motor and battery technology is opened up.

The cars themselves won't be especially quick in comparison to the upper echelons of racing, but the tight confines of the twisty street tracks will partly mitigate that.

The biggest problem is the need to switch from one car to another mid-race. That's a terrible handicap for any series that wants to push electric car technology. After all, it hardly plays against the view in the public consciousness that electric cars lack range.

Drivers will be hopping from one car to another mid-race © LAT

But however Formula E pans out, and like any new series it should be approached with an open mind and judged on what it produces, the need for motorsport to evolve is clear.

The technology itself is fascinating. But motor racing has only just started to scratch the surface of this kind of kit and it is exciting to see it being turned to racing applications.

But what Formula E must not be seen as is the solution to all of the world's ills. Everyone has their own favoured direction, the perfect quick-fix, cure-all technology that represents the future.

After all, while the cars do not directly burn oil, a decent proportion of the electricity that is used to charge them will come from burning fossil fuels. That reflects more on the muddled policies on electricity generation in some parts of the world than electric motors themselves.

Yes, Formula E can legitimately claim to be carbon neutral thanks to carbon credits. But for now that tie to fossil fuels still exists and it would be wrong to gloss over it.

There are also real question marks over the use of lithium ion batteries, not least when it comes to their disposal.

FE is a work in progress © LAT

While Formula E has done all it can to address these problems, what it offers is an imperfect model.

But it doesn't claim to be anything else. Formula E is a point early in the journey. Not only is the series designed to evolve technologically, so too will motorsport and automotive technology as a whole.

In that regard, it's an active test bed, one that will drive understanding and development. Those who argue that its imperfection invalidates its existence overlook the fact that there are few easy, instant, answers in the world.

There will be dead ends and detours along the way, but the nature of developing technology means that you only know exactly what your end point is once you get there.

Inevitably, there will be frustrations. The internal combustion engine has had the advantage of well over a century of development, so it would be foolish to expect electric racing engines simply to slot in in their place and provide the same performance.

But, at heart, an engine is an engine. Provided it delivers power to the wheels, ideally lots of it, then the purpose of the racing car it propels - to go as fast as possible - still remains.

Just as in the early decades of racing, it took time for the powerplants to evolve, so it will be with these successors to the internal combustion engines. Formula E is a part of that. All credit to those behind it for committing serious money to getting it off the ground.

Combined with the rise of hybrid technology in sportscars and F1, Formula E is just the tip of what will hopefully prove to be a very big iceberg.

Provided rising temperatures don't cause it to melt while the world twiddles its thumbs...

Watch out for AUTOSPORT's guide to everything you need to know about Formula E in the magazine and online later this week, and follow all the action from the inaugural race in Beijing with Race Centre Live from 9am UK time on Saturday