An electric Formula racing series: who'd have thought five years ago that this would be such an eye-catcher? Nevertheless it is, as demonstrated perfectly this week as Mahindra Racing signs up as the eighth manufacturer to compete in the competition's first outing in 2014.
In addition to Mahindra being the only Indian team entering the championship, it will also be a rare occasion to see the Mahindra Racing logo on a four-wheeled racer instead of two; the company is best known for its participation in MotoGP.
"We are very excited about our new adventure with Formula E," comments the Chairman of Mahindra Racing, Mr S P Shukla. "Mahindra Racing is still quite young, and this is an excellent addition to our racing portfolio."
In its first series, Formula E will feature 10 city-based races that will take the competition through places such as London, Beijing and Los Angeles. Due to the nature and location of the circuits, the competing EV racers have only a fraction of the power of Formula 1 cars and are limited to a top speed of 217km/h, but this should certainly make for some close racing without the fear of the cars crashing at high speed and breaking a city.
As well as the entertainment factor, Formula E is designed to raise awareness of electric-only propulsion, with estimates that the racing series will help an additional 77 million electric vehicles leave showrooms over the next 25 years. A bold claim, some might say, for a racing series that has yet to even complete a lap.
"We strongly believe that Formula E can provide an excellent global showcase for our electric vehicle technology," says Anand Mahindra, Chairman and Managing Director of the Mahindra Group. "With advanced operations in electronics, IT, automotive technologies and manufacturing, we are already seeing the fusion of this technology into our electric vehicle operations. Racing will accelerate that trend."
Mahindra isn't only about its racing team, as the company also specialises in military defence and farming vehicles as well as its range of - largely - exclusively off-road production car catalogue; with facilities in both China and the UK.
Anything else?
More information will be released about the Mahindra Formula E team as well as details about its EV racer in the weeks and months leading up to the start of the competition. The first Formula E race will commence on 20th September 2014 in Beijing, China.