Formula E: Nelson Piquet Jr joins forces with Panasonic Jaguar Racing

He is a world champion, they are one of the most revered names in motorsport.

Together, Nelson Piquet Jr and Panasonic Jaguar Racing are hoping to forge a championship-winning partnership in Formula E.

Piquet Jr, Formula E’s first-ever champion, has switched from Chinese team NextEV to the British team for the forthcoming season of the all-electric racing series.

“It’s going to be a big challenge winning a championship after racing for three seasons for NextEV but I thought it was time to change my home,” Piquet Jr told CNN.

“There is an amazing technical crew at Jaguar and I’m really looking forward to starting the (season 4) championship with them.”

Jaguar set to roar?

The 32-year-old son of three-time Formula One world champion Nelson Piquet will partner New Zealand’s Mitch Evans on the grid and will hope to revive his fortunes after two uncompetitive seasons – the Brazilian finished 16th in 2015/16 drivers’ championship and 11th last season.

Piquet’s partnership with Jaguar Racing will give the British team a boost after experiencing mixed results in its first Formula E season – the team scored 27 points in 12 races, finishing last in the constructors’ championship.

There were, however, some encouraging signs notably a double-points finish at April’s Mexico ePrix where Evans came home fourth and his former teammate Adam Carroll was eighth.

ELEXTRA —

Boasting a 0-60 mph acceleration of 2.3 seconds, the ELEXTRA supercar will rank alongside the fastest electric vehicles in the world.

ELEXTRA —

The Swiss-designed concept car will have a range of 600 kilometers (372 miles) and a top speed limited to 250 kph (155 mph) according to its creators, Classic Factory.

ELEXTRA —

Classic Factory specialize in automotive and industrial design. CEO Robert Palm says a production car will cost around $500,000 (before tax) but won't be available before 2019.

"The idea behind ELEXTRA is to combine pure lines reminding of the most exciting Italian super cars of the past, whilst being resolutely forward looking thanks to its low, sleek and beautiful design, paired with today's most advanced technology," Palm says.

The all-electric NIO EP9 is the fastest road-legal car ever to take to the Nürburgring.

Boasting a top speed of 194mph (313kph) and 1-megawatt of power (equivalent to 1342 BHP), the NIO EP9 may just be the fastest electric car on the planet.

Dendrobium —

The Dendrobium 'hypercar' made its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show in March.

Dendrobium —

The all-electric car has been created by Singapore-based Vanda Electrics with technological input from UK-based Williams Advanced Engineering.

Dendrobium —

Williams Advanced Engineering is a technological division of the Williams Group which is most famous for its Formula One team. Co-founded by Frank Williams in 1977, the team, now run by Williams' daughter, Claire, has won nine constructors' titles during four decades in F1.

Williams Advanced Engineering also provide the batteries that power Formula E cars. You can watch a CNN interview with Williams Advanced Engineering's operations manager Gary Ekerold here: Powering a Formula E race.

Dendrobium —

The Dendrobium boasts a top speed in excess of 200 mph and a 0-60 mph acceration of 2.7 seconds, according to Vanda Electrics.

Faraday Future's FF91 —

Back In January, California-based Faraday Future revealed its new FF91 model at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Faraday Future's FF91 —

CNN's Supercharged show was given a tour of the all-electric car by its chief designer Richard Kim and an exclusive peak at the interior.

Watch: Inside the FF91

Faraday Future's FF91 —

The FF91 is billed as the fastest electric production car in the world, going from 0-60 mph in 2.39 seconds, marginally quicker than the Tesla S which clocks 2.5 seconds in the same test.

READ: FF91 blends speed, luxury and connectivity

Faraday Future FFZero1 Concept —

Faraday Future has investing heavily in electric cars. The striking FFZERO1 Concept car was shown off at the CES in Las Vegas in January 2016, and in October the company's team lined up on the grid for the start of the 2016-17 Formula E world championship.

Tesla has received more than 350,000 pre-orders for its new Model 3 and expects to start delivering the $35,000 car to customers in 2017.

Rimac Concept One —

Croatia-based Rimac Motors has announced that it's Concept One 'hypercar' will be getting an upgrade in 2018.

Rimac Concept One —

The upgrade, announced at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, will see the cars power increase by 100 kilowatts to 900 kilowatts, the company said in a statement.

Rimac Concept One —

Upgrades will enable the refined Concept One to reach 200 kph (124 mph) in six seconds, according to Rimac.

Rimac Concept One —

As well as visiting the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the team behind the car will be heading to New York, Shanghai and Goodwood's Festival of Speed in the UK.

Rimac Concept S —

The Concept S is essentially a GT version of the Concept One, featuring a big front splitter, air deflectors, side skirts, diffuser and a large rear spoiler. Rimac has no plans to make a new model in 2017 but will be looking to break world records.

"The goal in the upcoming year is to break some records to show Concept One is the fastest production car ever -- not just the fastest electric car but the fastest among all other gas-powered cars," Rimac's COO Monika Mikac told CNN.

NextEV NIO EP9 —

The Chinese electric car maker and Formula E team set a new electric car lap record at the Nurburgring with its NIO EP9 hypercar in November and is set to launch a mass market car in 2017. The EV will take some of its design cues from the NIO EP9, the company says, but it will only be available in China initially.

NextEV NIO EP9 —

The NIO EP9 produces an impressive 1,340 horsepower and goes from 0-60 mph in just 2.7 seconds. On a full charge the car has a range of 265 miles (426 kilometers).

Techrules GT96 —

Another supercar set to be unveiled at Geneva in March is the Techrules GT96 crafted by Italian auto designers Fabrizio and Giorgetto Giugiaro.

Techrules GT96 —

The sleek chassis is complemented by a patent-protected "TREV system" -- a hybrid powertrain technology with a built-in turbine generator -- which will create electricity in addition to the power stored in the batteries, the company says.

Fisker EMotion —

Henrik Fisker has created some of modern motoring's most desirable cars, including the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage. The Fisker EMotion is an all-electric sports sedan which will boast a 400-mile (640-km) range, the company says.

Fisker EMotion —

The EMotion will feature a new electric power train layout with battery technology, constructed using graphene. The California-based automaker plans to unveil the car in mid-2017.

Dubuc Tomahawk —

San Diego-based Dubuc Motors is another small company with big electric dreams in 2017. The Tomahawk will boast a 300-mile (480-km) range and an impressive 0-60 mph time of three seconds.

Dubuc Tomahawk —

Dubuc is set to launch a crowdfunding campaign in early 2017 after self-financing the project for the last decade. With the help of investors, the company hopes to fine-tune the design, with the aim of unveiling the Tomahawk at November's Los Angeles Auto Show.

The electric supercars lighting up 2017

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Piquet Jr concedes that Jaguar Racing are unlikely to challenge the likes of Renault eDams – three-time constructors’ champions – Mahindra Racing and ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport in the coming season, but he sees a bright long-term future for Jaguar.

“There is a little bit of catching up to do,” he said. “We don’t see ourselves winning all the races, but we want to be fighting for wins and championships, but realistically if we are scoring points on a regular basis that would be the most important thing right now.

“Jaguar have made a lot of gains from season three to season four – the car is much lighter, much more efficient, so if we can be constantly in the top six or seven that would be a big accomplishment.”

‘Crazy’ interest in Formula E

Piquet Jr has watched Formula E grow from relatively humble beginnings in 2014 when few people had heard of the series to its current status as on the cusp of becoming a mainstream sport.

“Things have changed quite a bit. The season I won the title people would ask me: ‘What’s Formula E about? Do you really think this is going to take off?’ They wouldn’t give me much credit for what I was doing,” he said.

“But now it’s crazy. It’s the complete opposite. People are doing anything to be part of Formula E. And not only drivers. It’s sponsors, manufacturers, the fans want to be close to Formula E.”

Next season’s championship kicks off with a double-header race weekend in Hong Kong on December 2/3 before visiting a further 10 cities including, for the first time, Chile’s capital Santiago, Rome and Zurich.

Brazil is also set to host a race on the streets of Sao Paulo in March 2018.

READ: Champion di Grassi sees ‘bright future’ for Formula E

It would be the first time Formula E has visited Brazil, but Piquet Jr admits that initially it might be a tough sell to a country that idolizes its Formula One drivers.

Mitch Evans (left), Piquet Jr and Ho-Pin Tung (reserve driver) pose with Jaguar's new ITYPE2 car

“That’s going to be a tricky one. We’ve have had eight world championships between my dad, Ayrton (Senna) and Emerson (Fittipaldi),” he said.

“There are not many electric cars in Brazil at the moment so it might be a bit hard for the public to understand Formula E right now.

“But out of the three world championships two were Brazilian (himself and 2017 champion Lucas di Grassi) so maybe that’s enough for the country to embrace the series,” he said.