The FIA announced today that it will be 2021 at the earliest, for the FIA World Rallycross Championship to go electric.
Earlier this summer it was announced, that the change would happen in 2020, like we wrote about in this article, but the FIA has pulled back a little, after what they describe, a wish from the constructors to be able to prepare a bit more for the new technology.
However, we believe that it’s due to the series being very limited, since the chassis and the batteries all have to be the same, so the only thing that the constructors can develop, will be the electric motors for the wheels and the silhouette shell, which will be the outer of the car, making it look like a VW, Audi Ford or whoever else would be interested.
The FIA World Rallycross Championship currently have a few issues attracting new constructors – at least as works teams. They have Audi, Peugeot and Volkswagen, who current lock into the first 6 positions every time, unless something unexpected happens to one or more of the cars. Hyundai, Ford and Renault are represented with non-works backed cars, that privateers build themselves. So there isn’t a whole bunch of interested parties.
What the FIA and the organizers behind World RX, IMG, are hoping for, is the interest in Formula E to rub off on Rallycross, where the teams might want to invest too. But when the development opportunities are so limited – which they by the way is in Formula E too – the teams don’t have any advantage choosing one over the other.
We will have to wait and see how it all develops, because even though the new electric Rallycross has the same or perhaps a bit more horse power than the current cars, the sound won’t be the same, due to the batteries, and that is a part of Rallycross.
