Motorsport: Formula E puts New Zealand on notice - time is running out

Auckland's been urged to move faster, if it wants to host a round of motorsport's Formula E world championship.

At the moment, despite being over 9000km from Auckland, Hong Kong is as close to driving in front of a home crowd Kiwi Mitch Evans gets.

"[It's a] bit strange to have this almost as a home race, but still an 11-hour flight away," he told Newshub.

But Evans is hopeful that'll change, with a New Zealand consortium working to bring a round of the championship to the City of Sails in the near future.

"It would be amazing, potentially the best race on the calendar," he told Newshub.

"We race in New York, in Paris, here in Hong Kong," Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag told Newshub. "To have Auckland in that list would be great." 

But time is running out. More than 150 cities have expressed interest in hosting a race, so the message to Auckland is simple - get a move on, if you're interested.

"We have a lot of cities knocking on the door," Agag said. "If we want to make it happen in season six, then we've got to hurry, because were already in season five. 

"We have to get going - we have to get on with it."

An Auckland race could bring $150 million to New Zealand through tourism, but more importantly, it could help New Zealand meet the goal of 64,000 electric vehicles by 2021.

"Formula E is really more than a race," Agag told Newshub.

The vibe around Hong Kong proves that, with curious bystanders inquisitive at Formula E's 'E-village'.

"We're the generation that gets to see the change from combustion to electrification and from a city point of view, it puts it on the agenda," Jaguar Racing Team director James Barclay told Newshub.

"It showcases the benefits of electric vehicles," 

Newshub understands a decision around Auckland's bid to host a round lies with the Government and whether it can front up with the $10million needed to get it across the line.

"We can do something amazing - it could be the Monte Carlo of Oceania," Agag told Newshub.

The bosses of Formula E want it and so do the drivers. One of those drivers is Evans' teammate and 2016/17 Formula E champion, Nelson Piquet Jnr.

"I would love to go and race, and see a bit of the country," he told Newshub.

"The city would absolutely thrive off it," Evans added.

But Formula E won't wait, so it's up to New Zealand officials to make it happen.

Newshub.