Drayson Racing and RCA launch EV racing car contest

Drayson Racing has launched a contest with the Royal College of Art's Vehicle Design program to design electric racing car concepts for the FIA's new Formula E series, which is set to start in 2014.

The RCA's students are asked to present designs that explore new themes within the technical constraints as part of this course's curriculum.

The previous Drayson Formula E concept was developed by Sergio Rinland who will be part of a series of workshops and lectures on aerodynamics, engineering packaging, production engineering and materials, giving students the technical knowledge to develop their designs.

Lord Paul Drayson, co-founder and owner of Drayson Racing Technologies, said: "We want the students to be drastic. They can use this as an opportunity to give the interior and exterior a whole new design language."

The students are also being encouraged to integrate with the virtual world using technology found in games consoles.

The winning student will see their design developed by Drayson engineers.

The aim is to have 10 teams and 20 drivers participating in the series, with each team having two cars to counter battery life issues. The races will be staged in the world's biggest cities around major landmarks. Rio de Janeiro and Rome have already been announced as hosts.

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By Rufus Thompson