Formula E presents all-new 2018 car
The FIA and Formula E have released the first digital images of the next generation car for season five, showcasing the futuristic new-look of the electric street racing series - with the covers coming off the physical model at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6.
This is the first car ever to be created by the governing body for motor sport, with the FIA bringing together the world’s leading designers and engineers to work on the concept. The common package of specification parts will be homologated and built by the competing manufacturers to house their own bespoke powertrains.
The new car demonstrates a step-up in performance from the current iteration with almost double the energy storage capacity and double the range, meaning the teams and drivers will complete a full race distance at higher speeds without making a mid-race car swap.
The physical model of the Gen2 car together with full technical specifications will be revealed on the FIA stand at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6. However, it is already known that the biggest change is under the car's hood, with the appointment of McLaren Applied Technologies to supply the batteries from 2018 to 2020, following three years of using batteries designed and build by Williams Advanced Engineering.
The new battery will almost double the energy storage, eliminating the need for drivers to swap cars during a race. McLaren's batteries are said to have an impressive battery management component, while still providing the expected safety measures, despite the higher capacity. McLaren has been working with Japanese company Murata and will use Sony's battery technology for the new Formula E batteries, which will be even lighter than the specification used in 2017.
FIA President Jean Todt said: “Today we show for the first time the design of the next FIA Formula E Championship’s generation car, and I’m sure that everyone will be very excited by how futuristic and advanced it is. I’m very proud that the FIA has been at the forefront of this car’s development. I can’t wait to take the covers off the real car when it will be seen for the first time in Geneva on March 6.”
Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E, said: “This car represents the future of racing. When we started Formula E, our goal was to break the mould and challenge the status quo - bringing a revolution to motorsport. This next generation car represents that revolution. The cars will be faster and will have almost double the amount of energy storage capacity and double the range, demonstrating the continuous evolution of battery technology. Together with the FIA, we’ve achieved a great milestone with the introduction of this car and I can’t wait to see it on track.”
