Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag revealed plans are underway to "bring mainland China back into the fold of the electric racing series," according to Matthew Scott of the SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST. Agag: "China is one of our pillars. Of course we have Hong Kong, which is great, but now we are working on a second race, in mainland China. Those two races would be for the long term and would be the base for electric car racing in China [because] the electric car market in China is where The Frontier is." Mainland China hosted the first Formula E Grand Prix -- won by Audi's Lucas di Grassi in Beijing in '14 -- and again opened the season in '15. But "suitable arrangements could not be made for last season," and Hong Kong picked up its first major int'l motorsport event. China has "placed itself at the forefront of the push for the motor industry to go electric," with the government stating last week that manufacturers would have to ensure 12% of the vehicles they put on the road were electric by '20. Agag: "I think the direction is realistic. What is good in China is the government sets the direction and gives clarity to the actors in the market and then the actors can operate. I think China is going to be the leader of the electric revolution" (SCMP, 10/4).
