All-electric rallycross leads motorsport’s transition away from petrol

The FIA World Rallycross Championship, a mixed-surface racing series, goes all-electric this year, eschewing its petrol past. It is the first motorsport sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile to move away from combustion engines. In our latest video, New Scientist goes trackside to find out more.

During their first race outing at the iconic Lånkebanen circuit in Hell, Norway, the new cars’ speed already looks likely to supersede their combustion-engine counterparts. “They have so much potential to be the quickest rallycross car ever built,” says Klara Andersson, a driver at CE Dealer Team.

For fans used to the sound and smell of petrol engines, it may take a bit of getting used to. “It’s a bold move to go full electric,” says Andersson, but promoters hope that the evolution of speed and racing ability will win over die-hard petrolheads and newcomers alike. “There is no way back,” says Arne Dirks, executive director of the FIA World Rallycross series. “The old sport doesn’t exist anymore.”

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