With a degree of freedom to innovate, the cars seemed faster this year. That was my perception from trackside, anyway. With 20kW higher maximum power allowed for 2015/16, perhaps it’s obvious that they would be quicker. It’s hard to know if lap times can be directly compared with the 2015 results, as the timing line had been moved and there may have been changes to the track layout. Buemi’s 1:22.033 set in Sunday Superpole compared with Sarrazin’s 1:23.901 from 2015. It could mean progress, or it could mean just statistics.

After the TT Zero e-bike race on the Isle of man in June was something of a damp squib this year, with the diminished field and John McGuiness’s unfortunate/ridiculous kill-switch problem, it was good to see the full field of Formula E cars make it to London and put on such an exciting couple of races. And there should be more cars next year as Jaguar joins the series.

I don’t know whether Buemi slowed abnormally into that turn in the final race or di Grassi deliberately rammed him, but their clash shows how the drivers really are taking Formula E seriously. Clearly, it’s real racing for them, not just test driving; even though the equivalent of less than 400 BHP can’t be terribly frightening. The driving may have been questionable in terms of sportsmanship, but to see them pushing so hard bodes well for the future of the series, and for EV advancement in general. Let’s hope for even more power and more speed next year.

Interesting to note, in the e-village, that the Renault Zoe EV can be bought for as little as £15,000. That’s really not bad for a car that offers such a low price per mile in terms of energy costs. It even looks like something a “normal” person would drive – Nissan Leaf take note.

After 2015 and 2016 in Battersea Park, the London ePrix moves on to we know not where for next year. So, speed comparisons versus this year will again be meaningless, and there will be no getting away from the high catch fencing that is the trade-off for being able to get so close to the action. The way to get better photos is to stop whining and apply for a track pass.

Picture: Nico Prost, snapped from the wrong side of the fencing, races to the first of his weekend’s back-to-back victories, Saturday July 2.

I’ve just finished reading Charles Morris’s fascinating book about Tesla. It’s quite an eye opener in many ways. Surely not many people would (or could!) front up $41 million of their own money to help their startup through a sticky patch – but the way Morris tells the story, this gesture made a defining moment that won the confidence of some serious backers. Fair Play to Elon Musk!
My last post suggested that unfeasibly good looking EVs are needed to help the electric revolution succeed. Morris’s book provides an idea as to why earlier EVs tended to be either incredibly bland or just plain ugly: the manufacturers were not really interested in selling them. Apparently California law obliged them to include an EV in their product ranges, and they grudgingly complied although they had very little desire to supply or support them.
Thankfully that’s changing, and now there are some really eye-catching electric cars for us to look at and maybe even aspire to own. A few broke cover at the recent Geneva auto show, including the Quant concept vehicles as reported by (it’s that man again) Charles Morris in Charged EVs.
There is also the Koenigsegg Regera. Perhaps that’s outside the scope of this blog, as it’s not strictly “solid-state” motoring: the twin-turbo 5.0 litre V8 sees to that. But it does have three Yasa electric motors. Yasa motors also power the Delta E4-Coupe, a pure EV built by Delta Motorsport at Silverstone that has functioned as a demonstrator for various technologies including wireless charging as I described in my article in New Electronics last year. In fact, Delta helped develop the Yasa motor to power the E4-Coupe. I think this is a great looking car.

I love the doors; and the nose; and I’d like to be sitting behind that steering wheel.

Hopefully we’ll be seeing many more fantastic electric shapes, not only gracing motor show stands, but the roads as well.

Like a lot of boys, I’ve been mad about cars almost my whole life. Sometimes I’ve even called myself a petrolhead. I like them loud, fast and beautiful.

I’m also inspired by electric vehicles. Perhaps getting older has made me appreciate the idea of a quiet ride. Really, what’s getting me on board is the emergence of EVs that are fast and beautiful.

It will be fascinating to see how they will evolve from here. I think they will move forward far more quickly than combustion engine vehicles at the beginning of their development. In this blog I hope to keep pace with the advances in technologies driving electric vehicles.

And why Solid-State Motoring? Because I’m sure people in the future will be horrified at the notion that we used to pour liquid into our cars and burn it to make them go.