Saturday sees the return of Formula E, the all-electric series that by all accounts is shaking up the state of motorsport as we know it.

This weekend’s double-header in Hong Kong, with races on both days, will kick-off the fourth season of Formula E that despite initial concerns over its attractiveness has proven a huge success. That’s often been proven by attendances, with crowds regularly clocked at more than 20,000 and 45,000 turning out in Montreal for last season’s finale.

But now there is a new way of measuring its success, and that can be directly seen through the number of manufacturers flooding to the series. Reigning Formula One champions Mercedes will enter the sport in 2019/20, joining Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Citroen and Nissan, who will replace Renault next year.

One man who has seen the sport grow is Britain’s Oliver Turvey, who balances his role as McLaren test driver for the F1 team with full participation in Formula E with NIO, which claimed the inaugural title three years ago with Nelson Piquet.

“It’s been really impressive actually to see how Formula E has grown,” Turvey tells The Independent. “I joined at the end of season one in the final race in London and really each season the championship has taken a step forwards. Certainly during season three there was huge progress and the level of interest in Formula E has grown year-on-year and certainly now the number of manufacturers coming into Formula E has been really impressive to see.

“It’s becoming one of the biggest championships out there and certainly one with the biggest number of manufacturers in.”

When it comes to motorsport, most series bar F1 struggle for recognition beyond the average petrol head, but Formula E is able to offer a unique attraction in that it takes the sport to the people. Races, known as ePrixs, are not held on established race tracks but on public roads in city centres, and the calendar this year certainly offers a level of luxury and prestige that can match the F1 circuit.

After Hong Kong, Formula E will visit Marrakesh, Paris and New York City just to name a few, while new additions in Santiago, Sao Paulo, Rome and Zurich – the first time that Switzerland has held a motor racing event in more than 60 years.

British driver Oliver Turvey is preparing for this weekend's season opener in Hong Kong (Getty)

“It’s the close competition,” Turvey adds of its appeal. “An extremely competitive field across all the drivers at a very high level, and all the teams as well, especially with the number of manufacturers. It’s extremely close and the fact that it’s always bringing the racing into the middle of cities creates quite close exciting racing and there’s always a fun race to be involved in and a fun race for the spectators.

“The double-headers that we have, at the start of the year in Hong Kong and the last two races in New York and Montreal, gives two opportunities for us to race and I think in those cities is it gives fans twice as much with two opportunities to see the racing. That’s good for those cities and good for the fans.

“I think the one new race this season that stands out for me is probably Rome. Certainly it’s one of the most historic and recognised cities in the world. The fact that we’re having a race in Rome will be a really amazing race, and that’s one that I’m looking forward to.

Turvey competes for the NIO Formula E team (Getty)

“To have the first motor race in Switzerland for quite a few years, to bring motorsport back to that country, is another big achievement for Formula E. I think they’ve managed to have the first race in New York as well and that was a great achievement. The championship has definitely been able to bring new races and bring the racing to cities around the world, some of the most iconic cities in the world, and certainly now in other countries as well.”

One criticism has been the noise – or lack of it – produced from the electric powertrains. “Formula E is a bit different with noise but I was actually quite surprised with how easy it was to adapt and it felt quite natural from the first race weekend,” Turvey adds. “It’s a lot quieter which is obviously good for our ears, you don’t have that permanent ringing in your ears. Also for the fans, it’s quite nice to have your families there and talk to people while the race is going on, so I think from the fans’ point of view it makes it a more socialable occasion. For the drivers, it’s a high-pitch electric noise and I guess that’s a more futuristic sound.”

Turvey needed just one round to get used to the quiet nature of Formula E (Getty)

Having cut his teeth in many other categories such as Formula Renault 3.5, GP2 and the Le Mans 24 Hours – all three ear-bleedingly loud in their own right – it’s a relief for Turvey to have a quieter form of motor racing. “You hear the brakes, you hear the tyres a little bit and you hear the suspension when you’re in the car so you hear other sounds that you maybe don’t get in the other Formulas.”

It seems like a lot of the automotive manufacturers are going in that direction and I think it’s a natural step to want to race in Formula E Oliver Turvey

Whenever drivers talk about Formula E, they face the same question by those who want to know more about the sport: what’s its attraction? For starters, it’s the only all-electric single-seater series in the world, and acts as a shop window for manufacturers to showcase the latest electrical technology – something that grows in importance by the day as the shift towards hybrid and electrical cars continues.

“This is kind of a changing time for the automotive industry and I think we’re seeing more and more electric cars come onto the market and a lot of manufacturers have realised that Formula E is a platform to allow them to develop the technology and showcase electric powertrains and be able to race and compete on a world stage,” says Turvey. “I think from that point of view it seems like a lot of the automotive manufacturers are going in that direction and I think it’s a natural step to want to race in Formula E.”

Turvey will continue in Formula E with the NIO team (Getty)