Big-name car makers are vying to win the electric-car race—literally. This July, all of Germany’s motor-sport icons— Audi , Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and BMW —said they would soon join Formula E, the electric-car equivalent of Formula One. The announcements come as the global auto industry is accelerating its shift toward electric cars, illustrated by Volvo’s recent decision to abandon conventional engines and go completely electric by 2019. Many see Formula E as a proving ground for vanguard electric vehicle technology. “You can tell something is changing when the car manufacturers start piling in,” says Zak Brown, executive director of McLaren Technology Group, a U.K.-based maker of supercars and Formula One mainstay. “Formula E provides a […]