Formula E, an all-electric racing competition, is pioneering technology that could find its way into vehicles at a charging station near you.

On 6 December, 20 cars will race around the São Paulo Street Circuit in Brazil. Stretching over 2.93km (1.8 miles), the course is dominated by long straights along which the cars can scream at full speed. There are just 11 corners.

The cars will reach top speeds of 200mph (322km/h), and accelerate from 0 to 60mph (96km/h) in just 1.82 seconds. This isn't quite as fast as a Formula One car, which can top out at 233 mph (375km/h). But then, these cars are electric.

The São Paulo ePrix will be the first race of the 12th season of Formula E: the world's fastest racing contest for electric vehicles. Launched in 2014, Formula E has rapidly progressed, adding additional teams and races, and building ever-faster cars. The current cars are almost as fast as Formula One cars, which are the fastest racing cars in the world – and the next generation, announced in November, is set to be faster still.

The world's fastest EVs

Formula E may be quick, but the fastest EVs in the world are found off the professional race track. In September 2025 the Yangwang U9 Xtreme, produced by the Chinese firm BYD, became not only the fastest EV production car (one that's road-legal) in the world, but the fastest production car of any kind. The model has clocked in speeds of 496.22km/h (308.34mph). Experimental vehicles can be faster still, such as an EV built by Ohio State University, the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3. This vehicle made a world-record two-way average top speed of 341.4 mph (549.4 km/h).

To enable Formula E cars to reach these speeds, their designers have come up with an arsenal of tricks to squeeze every last volt out of their batteries. The ingenuity starts with the batteries themselves, and extends to every other aspect of the cars. What's more, many of the lessons learned in Formula E are being applied to more conventional electric vehicles – helping to drive the electric vehicle revolution and cut global greenhouse gas emissions.

At their absolute core, the batteries in Formula E cars are utterly typical. "The battery in your TV remote has the same fundamental chemical reaction as the battery cells that are used in all road vehicles and motorsport batteries," says Douglas Campling, general manager of motorsport at Fortescue Zero in Kidlington, UK.

All batteries have two main components: the cathode and the anode. When the battery is being stored, the two are separated by internal barriers. But when the battery is in use, the two are connected in a circuit, and electrons flow from the anode to the cathode. This flow of electrons is what powers an application – whether it's a smartphone or a race car.

However, designing a battery that stores enough energy to power a race car at top speed, and to keep it going for the entire race, is a big challenge. In the early days of Formula E, it had not been achieved. "If you look at those first few seasons, because the battery range wasn't........

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