Construction has forced Formula E to relocate its US race next summer from the Red Hook terminal in Brooklyn to Portland, Oregon. The all-electric racing series filled the final spot in its Season 9 calendar on Wednesday as the 2023 slate of races is set to kick off in Mexico in mid-January. The Portland event will take place on June 24th, sandwiched between doubleheaders in Jakarta (June 3-4) and Rome (July 15-16).
Formula E has held a race in the US every year since it began in 2015, except for the COVID-shortened season in 2020. In addition to New York City, the series has also hosted events in Long Beach and Miami. The move to Portland now means four new cities will have all-electric racing in 2023 as Hyderabad, India; Cape Town, South Africa and Sao Paulo, Brazil were already announced as part of the Season 9 calendar. Formula E also says its hopeful to return to Seoul in Season 10. Construction that the Season 8 venue forced the series to cancel that event in 2023 as it wasn’t able to find an alternate location.
While Formula E didn’t offer many details in its announcement, The Race reports that the Portland event will be held at IndyCar road course Portland Raceway. According to the report, some modifications to the circuit will be made for the EV racers, including the possibility of added corners. The Race also reports that Formula E considered hosting the North America race in Toronto next year.
When Season 9 begins next month, Formula E will debut its Gen3 electric race car. In addition to an overall design change to a body style that’s more akin to an F-18, the new vehicles pack an electric motor that can deliver 350kW of power (470BHP) to reach top speeds of 200MPH (320 km/h). The cars are also incredibly efficient, converting over 90 percent of their energy to mechanical power. This will be the first Formula car ever with both front and rear powertrains and that setup will be more than double the regenerative abilities of the Gen2. That’s significant since about 40 percent of the energy cars will use during an E-Prix will be produced by regenerative braking. While pit stops aren’t a thing in Formula E just yet, the series will test 30-second charging breaks during select races. The stops are mandatory and will offer drivers two “enhanced” Attack Mode with extra power for overtaking during the race.