BMW announced as Formula E manufacturer from season five

BMW announced as Formula E manufacturer from season five

It was announced on Tuesday that German car manufacturer BMW have joined nine other manufacturers to develop the first single car powertrains in Formula E from season five onwards.

BMW along with ABT Formel, DS Automobiles, Jaguar Land Rover, Mahindra Racing, NextEV NIO, Penske Autosport, Renault, Venturi Automobiles will be manufacturers for season 5,6, and 7.

This round of homologations means that the powertrains will thus fall into line with the new cycle of homologation for the chassis and battery, which will remain standard up to the end of season Seven (2020-21.)

This now means that any new manufacturer wishing to homologate their powertrain will be able to do so for season 6, for a two-year period and for the next one with an annual duration.

With season five will represent a very important step in the development of the first FIA championship featuring single-seaters powered solely by electricity, because, as from the 2018-19 season, each driver will use just a single car per race, rather than the current two.

In a statement to the media on Tuesday, FIA President Jean Todt affirms this and believes the direction of the series will help form the development of motorsport as a whole.

“The FIA Formula E Championship has been going for a little over three years now, and already it has established itself as one of the most interesting and innovative race series,” said Todt. “Not just because of the actual format of the events but also and above all, because of its technical development,”

“The homologation of the powertrains that will be used as from season 5 is a very significant step because it means the cars will be able to run for twice as long while, at the very least, maintaining the same performance level.

“This highlights how motorsport can stimulate and accelerate development of new technologies which can then be applied to road cars. This sport has a key role as electricity is one of the more practical alternatives when it comes to finding new forms of more sustainable mobility in the future.”

Also in a statement to the media on Tuesday, Alejandro Agag, the Founder & CEO of Formula E is amazed that the championship has secured nine manufacturers by season five. He also admitted that when the championship was first born, he only expected to have three manufactuers by season five.

“The mission of the FIA Formula E Championship is to act as a platform to advance the development of electric vehicle technology and alternative energy solutions – this hinges on the participation of automotive and component manufacturers,” said Agag.

“When we launched the series in 2012, we had forecast to secure at least three manufacturers by season Five. The news today has highlighted the number and quality of manufacturers joining the championship and tripling our initial expectations,” said Agag.

The 2018/19 season will also see the debut of the new-look Formula E car, whose shape has been inspired and defined by the FIA with the aim of having a futuristic and appealing design.

It will be produced by Spark Racing Technology, who won the chassis tender. From season five there will also be a new standard battery, produced by McLaren Applied Technologies.

Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa