After a four-year absence, Formula E returned to mainland China and I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation from NIO to join their car owners in Sanya Haitang Bay to enjoy this speed feast. In this travelogue, you will see:
- The airport parking service process for the ES8.
- The specific rules and gameplay of Formula E.
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Bin Ge and Li Hong, who watched the game with their car friends.
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The most handsome boy in Haitang Bay.
Before Departure
I took a flight around 1 pm on March 22 from Shanghai Pudong Airport, but I live about 50 kilometers away in Minhang, and there is no particularly convenient public transportation. Round-trip taxi fare is at least 300 RMB, and parking fees at Pudong Airport for three days are also over 200 RMB. I was lost in thought for a while…
Two days before departure, while studying Formula E-related knowledge in the NIO APP, I accidentally discovered that NIO provides airport parking services in their worry-free service package. It was perfect timing to give it a try.
Although NIO outsourced this service to e-driving, it doesn’t require downloading an additional APP and can be completed within the NIO APP.
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When placing an order, you only need to fill in the round-trip flight number, car rental pickup/dropoff location, and pickup/dropoff time. After the order is completed, the system will generate a specific pickup/dropoff location.
DAY 1
Considering that the test drive car is from another city and cannot enter the highway before 10am, and also due to using airport parking service for the first time, I chose to leave as early as possible to avoid any unexpected situations.
The 3-day-2-night itinerary is not long. A few short-sleeved shirts and a laptop in a backpack are enough. As a 7-seat SUV with a wheelbase of over 3 meters and a length of over 5 meters, the ES8 has extremely huge rear space both in the trunk and in the back row. However, when driving alone, such a large space only makes parking more difficult.
Departing with a remaining range of 321 km and heading to Pudong Airport, which is 45 km away.
In early March, NIO released the 1.2.1 version software update, which added Baidu Maps. Whether it is the logic or accuracy of navigation, Baidu Maps is much better than the previous 4D Maps. It can basically replace the navigation on the mobile phone.
I reserved to pick up the car at 11 o’clock sharp. The pickup staff called me half an hour early, around 10:30, to confirm that I would arrive around 10:40, and reminded me of the designated delivery area. After arriving, I met the pickup staff within two minutes. The staff member said that he frequently serves NIO car owners and is also familiar with the ES8. After confirming the mileage and scratches on the vehicle, I signed, and then the staff member drove the car away. The whole process took about 5 minutes.
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The actual distance from my home to Pudong is 45.4 kilometers, and the displayed range dropped by 58 kilometers. Just for your reference, the road conditions were half urban and half expressway, and the air conditioner was not turned on.
Because the overall road conditions and valet parking service did not delay my time, I arrived at the airport early and scrolled through my phone, waiting for boarding. Despite being a workday, there weren’t too many people around.
Although the number of people waiting in the airport didn’t feel overwhelming, the plane was almost full of passengers consisting mostly of families with young children or elders taking their grandchildren to Sanya for vacation, so the entire flight was accompanied by the sounds of parents soothing their kids.
Once landed, it was obvious that the air was much more humid. Phoenix International Airport in Sanya has the typical architecture of tropical monsoon areas, and it even made an appearance in the movie “If You Are the One 2”.
At the airport, many EP Club members who had come from all over the country to watch the FE race in Sanya were greeted by a large number of NIO employees wearing short sleeves.
On the other side of the exit is the taxi pick-up area. The taxis in Sanya are very brightly colored, but they are mostly Volkswagen and Kia gas cars. There’s one highlight in the picture, a huge Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY billboard hanging on the exterior wall of the airport.
During my journey from the airport to the hotel, I observed carefully that there were not as many electric cars in Sanya as I had anticipated. However, relatively speaking, Hainan is still a suitable area for promoting electric cars. On the one hand, the lowest temperature in Hainan is only ten to twenty degrees Celsius, which is very suitable for battery utilization. In this temperature range, it is unlikely to encounter problems such as battery internal resistance due to extremely low temperatures resulting in slow charging speed or serious decline in endurance. On the other hand, compared with using heating air conditioning, using cooling air conditioning can save more electricity. Meanwhile, Hainan Island does not have a high demand for long-range travel, so compared with other areas, Hainan’s climate and geographical location are more favorable to electric cars.
I don’t know when the NIO House plan will be implemented in Hainan, but one thing’s for sure – Hainan’s NIO House will definitely have the most beautiful scenery.
After a 45-minute journey, we arrived at the hotel. At the hotel entrance, we could see an ES8 and a NIO X BESV electric bicycle. Although the latter is small, it is not cheap.
As there are a large number of NIO car owners staying at this hotel, the hotel has opened an exclusive EP Club check-in channel, which is very efficient.
The FE race will be held on Haitang North Road, where there are many hotels along the road. On one side is the sea, and on the other is the racetrack. The scenery is truly beautiful.
In the evening, there was a big party for NIO EP Club. Although the NIO car owners come from all walks of life, everyone gets along well. As an outsider, I can feel everyone’s exceptional friendliness.During the dinner party, to everyone’s surprise, both the founder of NIO, Li Bin, and the CEO, Qin Lihong, emerged from the crowd. Although the members of the EP Club were already very familiar with them, the atmosphere at the venue still reached its climax.
During the subsequent banquet, the car owners and the two leaders of NIO exchanged a lot of their opinions. The leaders also shared their future plans with the car owners. It has to be said that it is the first time I have seen a car manufacturer and its users being so close. Even the car owners knew more secrets about NIO than the media did.
However, simply listening to the feedback from NIO’s users is not enough. To iterate and optimize more efficiently, NIO needs to listen to more effective suggestions from the outside world in order to become stronger.
DAY 2
This is the entrance ticket for this Formula E event, finely packaged with many versions. Different colors represent different permissions.
At 8:30 in the morning, we met NIO’s car owners in the lobby of the hotel and took a bus to the race venue together.
The Sanya Station is the 6th stop of the 18-19 season and the second time Formula E has held an event on the mainland of China in four years. Hainan Province is vigorously promoting new energy vehicles, and holding the FE race in Sanya has great significance.
The racetrack is located near Haitang North Road, Haitang Bay, Sanya, which was transformed from a city road into a circuit. The Sanya circuit for Formula E has a total length of 2.3 kilometers and 11 turns. The previous Hong Kong circuit was also a street circuit, with narrow and winding turns that extremely challenged the drivers’ racing lines and overtaking opportunities, making the whole race process very entertaining for the spectators. However, with more and more players joining in the FE races, it is highly likely that the next season will not be held in Hong Kong due to insufficient space on the track caused by an increasing number of vehicles.
There are many camera positions set up around the circuit, from which all the FE race broadcasts online are produced.
In addition to the camera positions, sound equipment is also scattered around the track.
To enter the infield, one needs to walk across a festive pedestrian bridge, which is actually an excellent viewing spot. However, for safety reasons, watching the race on the bridge is prohibited.
In the early morning, many Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race cars were practicing on the track.
The VIP lounge provided by NIO is located on the top floor of the P garage, where attendees need to sign in and get a wristband.
Although the lounge is a temporary structure, it is fully equipped with all necessary amenities.
There are two FE racing simulators in the lounge, and the set roads are the roads of Sanya Station. I have experienced them, and they are very difficult to drive.
The BOSS Emotion area is very large, divided into multiple sections. Most manufacturers have rest areas here, providing uninterrupted meals, drinks, and beverages from morning till night. There are also huge TV screens broadcasting real-time race conditions. Watching the race here is very comfortable.
Walking to the balcony of BOSS Emotion overlooks the Paddock area. There are a total of 11 teams in this competition, of which 6 are manufacturer teams. The reliable news is that Porsche and Mercedes-Benz will also join the Formula E race next season.
The work vehicles for this FE are provided by BMW, and the safety car is a track version of the BMW i8. The hybrid i8 matches FE racing events very well.
After the practice session, there are 45 minutes for fans to enter the Paddock and visit the Formula E racing cars up close.
I met the very cool Zhelen monitor at the entrance of the NIO Paddock.
The external parts of the FE race car are made of carbon fiber, including the brackets that support the rear wing.
Careful you may notice that all the external appearance of FE cars are the same. Yes, to control the development cost, all FE cars have the same design and battery pack. Each team needs to independently develop the motor and electronic control system, but the maximum power of the motor must not exceed 250 kW. During the race, the power will be limited to 200 kW. Don’t underestimate it, the power of 200 kW is transmitted to the 305 mm rear wheels, and it only takes 3 seconds to accelerate a less than 900 kg racing car from 0 to 100 km/h.
The tires used in FE cars are all Michelin Pilot Sport EV, whether on dry or wet ground, only this type of tire is used. The hub size is 18 inches.
During the break of the race, the BMW safety car is charging in its parking spot.
The passage leading to the maintenance area is filled with the noses of cars from various teams. As a fragile part, the team has sufficient inventory.
After returning to the lounge, the two NIO drivers are also interacting with fans.
Before the start of the race, let me share with you the FE gameplay. The main race of FE is 45 minutes + 1 lap. All drivers need to run for a full 45 minutes, and the ranking at the end of 45 minutes is the final ranking. But the race is not over yet. After all drivers have run for 45 minutes, they need to leave some remaining energy to run an additional lap. The score is only valid after this lap is completed.
Before the 2018-2019 season, due to limitations in battery technology, drivers had to return to the pit stop to change cars halfway through the race, which added to the spectacle of the whole event. But now that battery technology is sufficient to run the full distance, what can be done when the race loses its excitement? (Of course, running the full distance requires the use of the energy recovery system, otherwise the car may run out of power at 75% of the race.)
To make the races more exciting, this season’s FE races have added an ATTACK MODE. Turn 3 of the Sanya circuit is the activation point for ATTACK MODE. Drivers must reduce their speed and take the outermost line of the turn to activate ATTACK MODE. After activating ATTACK MODE, drivers can gain an additional 25 kW of power, which can last for 4 minutes. Each driver must use the ATTACK MODE twice. For drivers, the timing of activating ATTACK MODE is crucial, as they need to activate it while preserving their position as much as possible. In addition, there are three confirmation points for activating ATTACK MODE, and any deviation in the race line will not only fail to activate ATTACK MODE but also waste a lot of time.
At the beginning of the race, there is no loud roar of an engine, only the relatively quiet sound of the electric motor. During cornering, there is no sound of downshifting and oiling the engine, but you can clearly hear the sound of the tires gripping the ground and the brake pads rubbing against the carbon ceramic brake discs. You may not be accustomed to it, but it really gives me a new and wonderful sensory experience.
In the lounge, Li Bin and Li Hong sat with their fellow drivers and watched this interesting race.
With 16 minutes remaining in the race, SIMS from BMW Team collided with the wall while overtaking on the corner, causing damage to the rear suspension, which blocked the road.
After several laps of safety car deployment, the faulty BMW still could not be moved to a relative safe position off the track, forcing all drivers to return to the pit lane. The crane was used to lift the faulty vehicle away from the scene.
Upon returning to the pit lane, the staff immediately cooled down the battery and brake system of their team’s race car, also replacing the body parts damaged in the previous collision.
At 15:45, the race ended, and Vergne from Chinese DS TECHEETAH team won the Sanya station championship. The two NIO race cars completed the race without any issues, and although the results were not outstanding, the opportunity for fans to gather together and watch the race was enough to bring joy.
While on the way back, passing through the third corner again, there were obvious tire marks left on the road surface, and there were also many rubber particles on the edge of the track. Although many people feel that FE races are not fast enough while watching the videos, the adrenaline rush of seeing the cars whizz past in person still left a deep impression on me, and I will always remember it.
After returning to the hotel, my race-watching trip came to an end. I am now preparing to return to Shanghai, and I would like to add some personal thoughts in conclusion.Although the current organizer of the Formula E event only allows autonomous research and development of motor and electronic control systems in order to control team R&D investment, these two technologies are also the easiest to be applied to civilian vehicles. With Mercedes-Benz exiting the DTM German Touring Car Masters and Porsche leaving the endurance championship’s LMP1 category of the World Endurance Championship to join the Formula E event, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, and Audi have all gathered on a new battlefield, ensuring that competition will become increasingly fierce, and electric drive technology will certainly develop rapidly. We also hope that more practical technologies can be applied to civilian vehicles, accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy!
After arriving in Shanghai, the valet attendant also arrived at the designated area on time. This feeling was really great, but the height of Pudong Airport was very limiting for opening the ES8’s tailgate.
As for the Easter egg of this trip… I’ll just leave a photo of our stylish photographer and the cool Jolin squad leader who returned to Shanghai from Sanya in a pair of beach pants.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.