Formula Lightning was an

electric car An electric car or electric vehicle (EV) is a passenger car, passenger automobile that is propelled by an electric motor, electric traction motor, using electrical energy as the primary source of propulsion. The term normally refers to a p ...

open-wheel An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fend ...

, open cockpit

formula racing Formula racing, also known as open-wheel racing in North America, is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. A "formula", first devised by FIA for its post–World War II single-seater races, is a set of regulations for ...

series for University engineering programs that ran from 1994 to 2004 in the United States. The series was sponsored by

ABB ABB Group is a Swedish-Swiss multinational electrical engineering corporation. Incorporated in Switzerland as ABB Ltd., and headquartered in Zurich, it is dual-listed on the Nasdaq Nordic exchange in Stockholm, Sweden, and the SIX Swiss Excha ...

and a number of local and regional electric companies. For much of the duration of the series, the races were organized by Electric Vehicles Technology Competitions (EVTC) and sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing. Irish Racing Team

The motivation behind the series was to generate excitement amongst the public about electric vehicles. The hope was that focusing on high speed racing, rather than an endurance event, would get fans of motorsports like NASCAR and IndyCar to think favorably about electric vehicle technology. The race organizers also sought to inspire and train a generation of undergraduate engineers to become electric vehicle designers of the future. The basic chassis of the vehicles was standardized and built by the Solar Electric Race Association (SERA). Universities across the country purchased these identical rolling chassis and then designed, developed, and built the electric drive systems needed to race. There were no changes allowed in the chassis design without majority approval of the Formula Lightning Owners Association. This ensured student teams could concentrate on the electric drive without the necessity of designing specialized mechanical chassis components. The two predominant battery technologies used in the powertrains were lead-acid and nickel-cadmium. Most cars had somewhere around 1200 pounds of batteries, which were stored in the side-pods. The races were typically 25-50 miles long. Because of the speeds that the cars ran at and the state of battery technology at the time, more than one set of batteries were needed per race. Thus most teams planned at least one

pit stop Pitstop may refer to: * Pit stop, in motor racing, when the car stops in the pits for fuel and other consumables to be renewed or replenished * ''Pit Stop'' (1969 film), a movie directed by Jack Hill * ''Pit Stop'' (2013 film), a movie directe ...

, which required 600 pounds of batteries to be removed from each side and replaced with a fully charged pack. Professional drivers were hired to pilot the vehicles during the races and were able to reach speeds up to . The series competed on both oval tracks (including Indianapolis Raceway Park and

Richmond International Raceway Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It currently hosts one NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. It formerly h ...

) and road course

race track A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

s (including Burke Lakefront Airport and Firebird Raceway in Phoenix). The first race was held in July 1994 in support of the Grand Prix of Cleveland

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

race with the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

winning the event. Throughout the decade-long series a number of universities participated including

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

, IUPUI,

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, Kettering University, and

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. The final official series race was held in October 2004 at

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. It hosts a number of racing series such as IndyCar, IMSA WeatherTech Sportsc ...

was the leading series champion. The race series stands as an important precursor to

Formula E Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars ...

and the rise of other electric motorsports in the 2010s and 2020s, that happened alongside the broader spread of electric powered passenger vehicles.

References

Auto racing series in the United States

Lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...

Recurring sporting events established in 1994 Recurring events disestablished in 2004 Defunct auto racing series Electric vehicles {{Autoracing-stub