Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag was one of many on hand at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in New York City on Wednesday for the unveiling of the track layout for the inaugural New York ePrix.
"I think we are in front of a historic moment," said Agag. "It's the first time in modern history that an FIA motorsport event, an FIA race, is going to be happening in one of the five boroughs in New York City. Finally, we have a race in New York.
"I think the potential reach for being in a market like New York is huge. On top of the eight million people that live in the city, the 15 to 20 million in the larger area, this is the capital of the world. So the eyes of the world are going to be looking at this race on television from all over the place, from Japan to China to Europe, so to be in New York it has a huge potential, it's a huge opportunity for Formula E."
"We've been working on this for many months, years I would say, to bring Formula E to one of the capitals of the world. Some people say the capital of the world. Today we announce that we made it. We're going to race in New York, Formula E will race here in Brooklyn, at the cruise ship terminal and this is one of the biggest days in Formula E, to announce the New York ePrix."
Formula E's third season will kick off from the streets of Hong Kong in October. New York will serve as the final stop of the 2016-2017 season with a double-header in July. Each Formula E race to date has been held on the streets of various cities from across the globe.
"We want to bring the race to the people," explains Agag. "That's why we bring these races to the center of the cities. We bring it to a place where you can come with public transport and easy to access. For the race here in New York there is going to be a new ferry line. So we make it easier for people to come and enjoy seeing electric cars.
"A new kind of event is coming to the city. An event which is not only a race, it's a lot more, it's a family day out, a day in the city where the kids can get closer to a new technology, to innovation, to the future really of what is going to happen in the cities all around the world."
Additionally, Agag adds that he hopes bringing electric racing to the streets of New York City will help promote more electric vehicles in the surrounding areas.
"Millions of people travel up and down the city of New York with electric power on the subway but that's underground," says Agag. What we also want is over-ground, in the streets, so everyone moves around with electricity in the subway and on the streets.
"When we originally started the project, we could only dream of bringing Formula E to a place like New York, with arguably the most recognizable skyline of any city in the world. I'd like to thank everyone involved in helping bring Formula E to New York for many years to come."
