Electric-powered race cars come to Rome in April 2018.

Rome will host a Formula E series race for electric-powered cars in the capital's southern EUR suburb on 14 April 2018, according to an announcement by the sport's governing body Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) on 19 June.

The electric cars emit almost zero emissions, are far-less noisy than the current machines and are powered by batteries charged by glycerine.

The fully-powered car can run for just 25 minutes, meaning drivers must change vehicles roughly half way through the Formula E race which lasts about 50 minutes.

However despite the car’s environmentally-friendly credentials, it is still capable of considerable speed – up to 225km per hour, or 0-100km in three seconds.

In 2012, under former mayor Gianni Alemanno, the capital discussed the possibility of hosting a Formula One race in the Colosseum-Circus Maximus area but the plans never came to pass.