Formula E may focus on battery charging times
According to new Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle, the electric racing series with the third generation of racing cars could devote itself to the topic of charging times. This would mean that the Gen3 car could reintroduce pit stops in Formula E.
If confirmed, the electric racing series would be the third generation of the race cars to be used for focussing on battery charging times. Looking back, the first generation of the vehicles (Gen1) there was an obligatory vehicle exchange in the middle of the race – the manageable battery capacity of the cars was not sufficient for the full distance of the competition. With the Gen2 cars introduced in the past season, the battery was increased to such an extent that the pit stop was omitted.
The Gen2 cars are to be used until the 2021/2022 season. For the time after that, CEO Jamie Reigle, who recently took over from Formula E founder Alejandro Agag, is worried. “But the important theme is that we’re developing technology to advance the adoption of EVs, and that’s kind of the core principal,” says Reigle. “Gen2 was all about demonstrating battery longevity.”
In the case of road cars, however, the focus is not only on the range that Reigle says was achieved with the Gen2 cars – but also on fast recharging. According to the Formula E CEO, charging time is still an obstacle for many people when switching to electric mobility. Therefore, the racing series with the Gen3 car could devote itself to this matter. “So that’s a theme that the folks who are much smarter than I am are working on – the viability of that,” he says. “if you can change the speed with which you charge the cars, perhaps you can reintroduce a pitstop.”
But nothing has been decided yet. What the new cars and the related race format will be like is currently being discussed between the FIA, the Formula E and the participating manufacturers. In addition to higher performance and new batteries, an all-wheel-drive for the Gen3 racing car is also under discussion. A second electric motor on the front axle is also used in many road vehicles – and motorsport could allow manufacturers to use recuperation much more intensively than before.
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