Renault is set to leave Formula E at the end of this season in order to focus more on its F1 programme. Replacing the team will be Renault’s motorsport stablemate Nissan, which is set to become the first Japanese manufacturer to enter the series.
Nissan has revealed some images of the livery it’ll use – spoiler alert: it’s a bit of a looker.
Black and silver doesn’t always make for the most interesting colour schemes (just look at the 2015 McLaren) but we reckon this looks rather smart. It’s clever, too – those black and white streaks are inspired by the Doppler effect, as Nissan’s vice president of global design, Alfonso Albaisa explains:
“At first glance the season five Formula E car looked to our design team like an EV-powered supersonic bird in flight. Naturally this initial reaction from the team started us on a path that captured a sense of a form breaking free of resistance and gravity. Formula E racers are virtually silent, with explosive speed bursts thus naturally we turned to Doppler when designing the livery. The combination of the sonic pulse of the Doppler effect and the released power of a sonic boom inspired our celebration of EV Racing!”
It’s definitely an effective look, and those streaks of Nissan’s traditional red really set it off, especially on something that looks as cool as the new Formula E car.
Although much of the car is comprised of spec parts, manufacturers are allowed to develop the powertrain to try and gain an advantage. Nissan is the world leader in producing mass-market zero-emission road cars, so its presence in Formula E makes total sense.
It’s a fine looking car, although with the Venturi squad running similar colours at the moment let’s hope they don’t end up looking too similar next year…
