Mahindra to give Gen2 first public run in August

The M5 Electro will be driven at the southern leg of the annual motoring festival founded by British TV and radio presenter Chris Evans, which takes place at Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire on August 24-26.

Mahindra currently fields Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld in FE, but it has not been announced who will be driving the M5 Electro at Carfest South.

The first public running of FE’s Gen2 machinery – which has double the amount of energy storage compared to the current cars, as well as a higher top speed – was completed by 2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg.

Rosberg, an FE investor, drove the electric championship’s Gen2 demonstration car at the Berlin round of the 2017/18 championship last month.

Ahead of the M5 Electro’s Carfest demonstration run, the NIO FE squad will reveal its season five challenger – the NIO 004 – at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 12-15, which takes place on the same weekend as FE’s season finale in New York.

The Chinese manufacturer will present its Gen2 car on a stand in the main event arena.

It will also demonstrate the NIO EP9 road car at the FoS, which will be driven by sportscar driver Peter Dumbreck, who set an electric vehicle lap record in the car at the Nurburgring Nordschleife in May 2017.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce that the NIO Performance Programme will be taking part in the 25th running of the Goodwood Festival of Speed,” said NIO FE team principal Gerry Hughes.

“Whilst we have competed in the FIA Formula E Championship since its inception and have showcased NIO’s single-seater EV technology through fierce competition on the world’s city streets, this will be the first time that anyone has seen the NIO EP9 Supercar run in anger.

“We are all extremely excited at the thought of Peter Dumbreck unleashing the ground-breaking performance of the NIO EP9 Supercar, where man and machine are being re-united for the first time since Peter’s record-breaking assault on the Nordschleife in May last year.

“It's our time to take to the global stage and as such, NIO will also be exhibiting during the four days of the event, where the public will be able to obtain a unique insight in to the NIO brand and its achievements in the world of EV technology through an unparalleled visitor experience.”