Video: Formula E race car rips on Las Vegas strip
The new Formula E cars won't turn a lap until September, but the FIA-sanctioned series wants to get as much promotion as possible before the first of 10 street races begins in Beijing.
Lucas di Grassi, who raced for Virgin Racing in the 2010 Formula One season, had the entire strip to himself from Mandalay Bay to Caesar's Palace, where a Grand Prix was held in 1981 and 1982. Los Angeles and Miami are on the Formula E calendar in February and March 2015.
The drive, timed with the thousands of technology fans and journalists attending the city's 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, was the car's first public demonstration since the series announced its formation in August 2012.
The open-wheeled cars are essentially a spinoff of Formula One, but instead of ear-splitting V8s and speeds that can top 200 mph, these all-electric cars are much slower (140 mph) with a quarter of the horsepower. Thanks to a relatively lax rule book, Formula E is supposed to encourage innovation and experimentation, which could lead to faster advances on electric road cars.
Watch as Lucas di Grassi takes to the wheel of the new Formula E car to drive along the famous Las Vegas Strip as part of the first public roadshow of the new fully-electric race car. Enjoy!