A Formula E car is a battery electric open-wheel auto racing car made according to the regulations of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) to take part in the FIA Formula E Championship. Races are mainly driven on closed temporary street circuits designed specifically for this racing category. [1]
As of 2022 there have been three major generations of Formula E cars:
Even though the FIA originally planned for the category to be open to various chassis manufacturers, [2] the only licensed Formula E model for the inaugural season (2014–2015) was the Spark-Renault SRT 01E. The electric components were assembled by Renault [3] while the chassis was designed by Dallara, and the car was assembled by Spark Racing Technology.
In Season 2 (2015–16), the SRT_01E was opened up for private development by the teams when it came to the motor, gearbox and suspensions. [4]
The specifications for the Spark-Renault SRT_01E are:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Acceleration | 3 s from 0–100 km/h (approximately) |
| Top speed | 225 km/h (FIA regulated) |
| Chassis material | Carbon fiber and aluminium monocoque |
| Body material | Kevlar and carbon fiber |
| Aerodynamic elements | Spoiler and airdam |
| Electric motor | Season 1: McLaren Electronic Systems [5] Season 2 onwards: Various, from single-speed to 5-speed |
| Motor power | 200 kW in normal race mode (150 kW in power saving mode; 230 kW in push-to-pass mode) |
| Energy source | 28 kWh Lithium-ion battery by Williams Advanced Engineering [6] |
| Powertrain layout | Rear-wheel drive, center back motor position (mid-mounted) |
| Gearbox | Season 1: Hewland 5-speed sequential gearbox Season 2 Onwards: Various gearboxes |
| Gearbox controls | Semi-automatic wheel-placed paddle shifters |
| Suspension | Front: Double steel wishbones, pushrod operated with twin dampers and torsion bars Rear: Spring |
| Shock absorbers | Torsion bars and springs |
| Brakes | Disks and calipers of any material. Round sections in aluminium alloy[ clarification needed ] |
| Rims | 460 mm (18 in) diameter Magnesium OZ Racing rims |
| Tires | 650 mm diameter front, 260 mm wide 690 mm diameter back, 305 mm wide Sculpted Michelin tires (for rain and dry conditions) |
| Length | 5000 mm |
| Width | 1800 mm |
| Height | 1250 mm |
| Track | 1300 mm |
| Wheelbase | 3125 mm |
| Mass | 898 kg total mass (included driver) 200 kg battery mass |
In March 2016 it was decided by the FIA and Formula E Holdings that the upcoming 2nd generation cars would keep to a specification chassis in a bid to keep costs low in the category. [7] [8] The tender for the 2nd Generation car was won by Spark Racing Technology. [9]
The original battery specifications included a 200 kg (440 lb) cell-weight limit, a 200 kW peak power limit, and a maximum usable energy of 28 kWh. [10] For the 2018–2019 season, the specifications for the battery was a weight of 250 kg and 54 kWh energy, and peak power was 250 kW. The cells (18650VTC6) was to be made by Murata Manufacturing, the integration by Lucid Motors, and track handling by McLaren. [11]
Also new for the generation 2 cars was the inclusion of a halo crash protection device. [12]
The specifications for the Spark SRT05e are:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Acceleration | 2.8 s from 0–100 km/h (approximately) |
| Top speed | 280 km/h (FIA regulated) |
| Chassis material | Carbon fiber and aluminium monocoque |
| Body material | carbon fiber |
| Aerodynamic elements | Spoiler and airdam |
| Engine | Various |
| Engine power | 200 kW in normal race mode (225 kW in attack mode, [13] 250 kW in fanboost mode [14] ) |
| Energy source | 54 kWh battery by McLaren Applied Technologies [15] |
| Powertrain layout | Rear-wheel drive, center back engine position (mid-mounted) |
| Gearbox | Various single-speed gearboxes |
| Suspension | Double steel wishbones |
| Shock absorbers | Torsion bars and springs |
| Brakes | Front: 278 mm Brembo carbon disks and calipers Rear: 263 mm Brembo carbon disks and calipers with brake-by-wire |
| Rims | 460 mm (18 in) diameter rims |
| Tires | 650 mm diameter front, 260 mm wide 690 mm diameter back, 305 mm wide Michelin Pilot Sport All-Weather Treaded, one set per weekend [16] [17] |
| Length | 5160 mm |
| Width | 1770 mm |
| Height | 1050 mm |
| Track | 1553 mm front, 1505 mm rear |
| Wheelbase | 3100 mm |
| Mass | 900 kg total mass (included driver) 385 kg battery mass |
The 3rd generation of Formula E cars is expected to be lighter and smaller than the 2nd generation cars to allow for more wheel-to-wheel racing. [18] It will be the first formula car with both front and rear powertrains, with a 250 kW generator in the front being used for regenerative braking and a 350 kW engine in the rear for powering the vehicle. [18] It will be the first formula car not to feature rear hydraulic brakes, and will instead rely on the regenerative capabilities of the engines for braking on the rear wheels, and it is claimed that "at least 40% of the energy used within a race will be produced by regenerative braking during the race". [18] This contributes to the car, at the launch in 2022, being expected to become the world's most energy efficient race car ever. [19] Performance wise, the 3rd generation Formula E cars are expected to achieve around 2 to 4 seconds faster lap times in both qualifying and races compared to the 2nd generation cars. [20]
The specifications for the 3rd generation Formula E cars are:
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Top speed | 320 km/h (FIA regulated) [18] |
| Chassis material | Carbon fiber and aluminium monocoque |
| Body material | Linen and carbon fiber, of which some is recycled carbon fibre from retired Gen2 cars [18] |
| Aerodynamic elements | Spoiler and airdam |
| Engine power | 350 kW [18] |
| Energy source | Battery cells with sustainably-sourced minerals; reused and recycled at end of life [18] 600 kW total power potential from regenerative braking (250 kW front generator, 350 kW rear motor) [18] |
| Fast charging | 600 kW ultra-high speed charging, almost twice as fast as any commercially available charger [19] |
| Powertrain layout | Front- and rear-mounted engine [18] |
| Gearbox | Various single-speed gearboxes |
| Suspension | |
| Shock absorbers | |
| Brakes | Front: Disks and calipers Rear: Non-hydraulic, regenerative [18] [ clarification needed ] |
| Rims | |
| Tyres | Tyre compound with 26% natural rubber and recycled fibres; recycled after racing [18] |
| Length | 5016 mm |
| Width | 1700 mm |
| Height | 1023 mm |
| Track | |
| Wheelbase | 2970 mm |
| Mass | 840 kg total mass (included driver) |
During the first season in 2014–2015, all teams used a Hewland 5-speed sequential gearbox operated by the driver semi-automatically via paddles on the steering wheel similar to other racing series. In the following seasons, regulations on gearboxes have been relaxed, and some teams have chosen to use either single-speed gears or all the way up to four gears. [21] A transmission with multiple gears can help keep the motor in its most efficient operating range, but whether an electric car needs multiple gears in the transmission depends heavily on the torque curve of the motor at different rotational speeds (r/min). [22] By season 4 in 2017–2018, all teams were running single-speed gearboxes. [23] Some single-speed Formula E cars have sometimes erroneously been described as having a "direct-drive" powertrain. However, FIA regulations for the gen 1 and 2 car have mandated a reduction gear, and Formula E cars without multi-speed gearboxes have thus far had a single-speed gear rather than a true direct-drive mechanism.
The second generation Formula E car from 2017 had a noise level of about 80 decibels, which is 10 dB louder than an average petrol road car or about as loud as a domestic vacuum cleaner. [24]
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