The organizers of the Formula E competition for electric racing regularly tweak their car specification to level the odds. Formula E batteries are not exempt from this. In fact, the process is zooming in to determine how the best driver, with the best battery management skill takes the checkered flag.
What’s New in Gen 2 Formula E Batteries
The formula affecting a qualifying electrochemical storage unit imposes the following, compared to the previous Gen 1 standard:
- Maximum 385 kilogram battery representing a 65 kilogram increase.
- A 250 kW power cap, which is a 25% increase over the Gen 1 approach.
- Maximum output may not exceed 250 kW, which is 100 kW greater.
- However, the race-mode restriction is a more restrained 200 kW.
Notwithstanding this, the organizers impose a 174 mph top speed (up from 140) and a limit of 2.8 seconds to 60 mph.
What’s It Like Driving These Things?
Motoring journalist Arthur Goldstuck wrote up the recent Cape Town Formula E event for Sunday Times on March 5, 2023. He describes how the Formula E batteries may only hold 60% of their capacity at the start of the race, with the rest of the power having to come from regenerative braking.
James Barclay, who headed up the TCS Jaguar Racing team, and others explained the dynamics this way:
- The biggest challenge is keeping the power down below the 200 kW limit, while the largest difference is the lack of noise.
- Drivers were accustomed to relying on the sound of combustion engines as reference, but now they have to watch their gauges.
- They need to know when to use wind power, when to use raw energy, and when to rely on regenerative braking as options.
We understand those drivers also need strong computational power too. There are 15 controls on the steering wheel alone. The person behind the wheel has to cope with limiting high speed from the battery, while chatting on the radio with their team. Not to mention the fact their ladder of experience is shorter than we would wish, if we were lucky enough to be in the driver’s seat.
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Andre-Marie Ampere Electromagnetic Pioneer
