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Is Formula E the future of auto racing?

Automakers are abandoning traditional racing series to join the Formula E circuit

David Miller
Published: August 2, 2017, 2:10 PM
Updated: August 7, 2017, 5:14 PM

An inside look at Formula E

Formula E just concluded its third racing season on the streets of Montreal at the Hydro-Quebec Montreal ePrix. Here's an inside look of what it's all about and the reasons behind it. By David Miller ▲

What is Formula E racing?

Formula E is a racing series created by the FIA, which governs racing around the world, for pure electric race cars. There were 9 stops and 12 races globally on the 2016-17 calendar, including Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Monaco, Paris, Berlin, New York City and Montreal. ▲

A few firsts

The 2016-17 season brought in a few firsts with Panasonic Jaguar Racing entering the field of ten teams, which is seeing increased automaker participation every year. In addition, it was the first time a race was hosted by a Canadian city. Montreal would be the last stop of the season providing a double header racing weekend to determine the Formula E constructor's and driver's championship. It was the first time the championship had been decided outside of London. We got an inside look at what the series is all about thanks to Panasonic Jaguar Racing. ▲

How is Formula E different than the rest?

The ultimate goal of the series, apart from providing competitive and entertaining racing, is to showcase the latest technologies and developments in the field of electric cars. Through this race series, the auto brands and cities are sending a strong message about the future of the auto industry with a focus towards sustainable development and the environment. ▲

The Jaguar I-Type

Panasonic Jaguar Racing is the latest team to join Formula E. Its I-Type electric race car is powered by a 200 kW electric motor that can accelerate the open-wheeled racer from 0-100 km/h in 2.9 seconds with a top speed of 225 km/h. ▲

Why is Jaguar involved in Formula E?

Jaguar, as an example of automakers participating in the series, has a long history in racing from rallies to endurance races to Formula One. So why now Formula E? “As a company, we wanted to come back (to racing) not just for any reason, but for the right one,” explained James Barclay, Team Director, Panasonic Jaguar Racing. “When we looked at Formula E, it stood out as the future of the automobile industry as it shifts toward electrification.” ▲

The focus is on technology transfer

Jaguar's excitement for Formula E has a lot to do with what's to be gained from the real transfer of technology and development that can be applied into its road cars. “Formula E is about us [Jaguar] having a platform,” adds Barclay. “The transfer of technology benefits are the fundamental driving force behind this program. It's the right place to innovate and use as a real-world testbed.” ▲

Ultimately raises awareness

Jaguar's involvement in Formula E has everything to do with raising awareness for its upcoming electrification program. To the general public, the Jaguar brand doesn't connect with pure electric cars, and that's why the racing team is being used as a global platform to promote that message.  ▲

All eyes will be on the upcoming 2018 I-Pace

The Jaguar electrification story will continue with its first-ever all-electric vehicle – the I-Pace SUV – which is scheduled to be released in mid-2018. Design elements of the I-Pace concept are not found in the I-Type race car and vice versa, but that transfer of technology story will start to trickle throughout the rest of its upcoming electrified lineup. ▲

More about the I-Pace

The concept shown off at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show has 400 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque and it can go from 0-100 km/h in roughly four seconds. Its lithium-ion battery pack has a capacity of 90 kWh that can maximize its range to 386 km on a single charge. The I-Pace is based off of a brand new platform that will be used for upcoming product that most likely will include an all-electric sedan. ▲

Through racing Jaguar wants to be perceived as an EV brand

Showing off the I-Pace Concept was Jaguar's first step into the fully-electrified world; and with Formula E, it hopes to establish a perception as an EV brand. Jaguar has promised that by 2025, half of its vehicles will have some sort of electrification. That statement emphasizes the importance of that real-world technology transfer push from racing to road cars. ▲

Other automakers moving in

There's nothing that better validates Jaguar's decision to enteri Formula E than seeing many of its on-road competitors including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Audi, as a factory team, announcing their upcoming entries into the series. All programs will aim to extract crucial electrification data from the Formula E series into its stable of road cars. ▲

Automakers dropping other racing programs to enter Formula E

With the addition of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Audi to Formula E, there's no doubt that the series is on the rise. In order for most of the German big wheels to join Formula E, they had to drop some of their existing racing programs. Mercedes-Benz will drop out of DTM – a series its participated in since 1988 – while Porsche will bow out of the World Endurance Championship, headlined by the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Audi has already done so. ▲

More about the race car

Each team has some freedom with its motors and gearing, but the chassis, aerodynamics and battery technology are the same for all race cars. The chassis is constructed by Dallara. The battery used for the 2016-17 season is a 28 kWh lithium-ion battery produced by Williams Advanced Engineering. During the two-race weekends, all cars must swap cars once during each race, with most teams starting this process on the 17th lap of the 35-lap race. ▲

New battery for next year

In 2018-19, a 54 kWh battery produced by Lucid Motors, formerly known as Atieva, in partnership with McLaren Applied Technologies and Sony, will be used for all race teams. The larger battery will eliminate the need for two cars to be used during a single race. Eliminating the need for a car swap during the race showcases the rapid development of battery technology within the auto industry. ▲

Temperature management

Temperature management plays a major role in Formula E. In order to lower the temperature of the powertrain, each team drops in buckets of ice, sometimes through a blower to cool the car off. The battery cell temperature starts at 21o Celsius and is only allowed to go up to 62o Celsius during the course of each 25-minute session. ▲

Motor and gear configurations

Car-to-car variations, in addition to chassis setup, come down to the configurations of motors and gears on the race car. The motors can be in longitudinal, transverse or pancake form. In addition, teams can choose their own gear setups that range from zero to three gears. ▲

Panasonic Jaguar Racing setup

The Jaguar team is in its first year, so without any experience in the series, it resorted to a past setup. For the 2016-17 season, the team has constructed its own powertrain with a longitudinal motor and a two-speed gearbox, all contained in a single aluminum casing. ▲

Driving the Jaguar I-Type race car

Piloting the Jaguar I-Type cars are Mitch Evans and Adam Carroll. On the differences between Formula E and regular liquid-fuelled racing cars, Carroll explains, “Energy savings and strategy become extreme, but outside of that, it's still a race car.” For Formula E, braking plays a huge role, as brake regeneration creates electricity that can go back into the battery, resulting in potential free laps. ▲

Still working out the kinks

Evans feels that a Formula E car is trickier than it seems due to brake balance and inconsistency. A lot can depend on temperature and drift levels, and that's something that is still trying to be fully understood by the team engineers and the drivers. ▲

A part of the future

“It's incredible to be a part of the future and something that's bigger than racing,” adds Evans. “This is where you should be as a professional race car driver moving forward.” ▲

World-class city streets add to the exposure

The technology transfer is vital to the development of Jaguar's electrification program, but racing through the heart of the world's best cities, doesn't hurt in promoting the brand, its technologies and the performance of electric cars. ▲

The Montreal track

All the world-class hosting cities chosen had their races on temporary city-centre street circuits. The Montreal track runs through the downtown core and is 2.75 km in length with a total of 14 turns (5 left and 9 right). ▲

The Montreal reaction

The reaction to hosting the race in Montreal was mixed. With road closures causing additional traffic and headaches, a lot of locals sounded off against Mayer Denis Coderre, the chief architect in bringing the race to the city. Montreal has been a leading Canadian city in sustainable development and the building of charging infrastructure, so there's some validity to why it's hosting a Formula E race. Coderre sees the race as a long-term investment. ▲

The sound issue

One of the first noticeable differences in electrified-racing is the sound. Only a hint of that electric power is heard from the race cars, and in its place, race organizers play music for the crowd during the race. The lack of traditional engine noise is one of the big arguments against electric-car racing for many race fans and organizations. ▲

Celebrities in attendance

Supermodel and actress Kate Upton and X-Men actor Nicholas Hoult were on hand to watch both Formula E races in Montreal. Upton would hand out the winner's trophy after the first race. ▲

Political power

Outside of Mayor Coderre, former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien arrived on day two of the race weekend. He was treated to a walkaround the paddock area with an exclusive look at some of the team's race cars. ▲

Double-header and season race results

Lucas di Grassi of the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team won the first race in Montreal and in the end captured the driver's championship over Sebastien Buemi of Renault e.Dams. The second race was won by Jean-Eric Vergne of Techeetah, his first win in three seasons. In their first year of racing with Jaguar, Evans and Carroll finished 14th and 21st, respectively in the driver's standings. ▲

Jaguar's hope for the future

According to Barclay, the Panasonic Jaguar Racing team is learning in its first year and its plan is to catch up to the other teams who've been participating for all three years. “Formula E is incredibly challenging and ultimately we're here to be successful and we won't rest until that the case. Next year is another step in our journey, and we will be fighting in that lead pack,” he promises. ▲
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