As major auto makers continue to join Formula E, Porsche has officially been accepted into the championship. The German OEM will now develop its own powertrain ahead of the sixth FE series in 2019
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has accepted Porsche’s application as a Formula E manufacturer. This means that the Weissach factory team can continue to pursue the development of its own electric powertrain, which is due for homologation in 2019. As originally announced in July 2017, the German auto maker plans to be among those competing in the sixth season of the global electric racing series.
“Over the past few years, the FIA and Alejandro Agag have done a fantastic job,” said Fritz Enzinger, vice president at Porsche. “It is due to this development that we will be able to compete on the race track against many of the world’s largest car manufacturers.”
As was the case with the successful Le Mans Prototype 919 Hybrid project, Andreas Seidl will be responsible for the technical development and the execution of the Formula E program.
“The possibilities and performance of electric cars have been a central topic at Porsche for quite a while,” Seidl noted. “The deeper our engineers get into the topic, the more fascinating the solutions become. We can’t wait to receive our first vehicle in early 2019 and to test our own powertrain in it. The Gen2 racer, which was unveiled by Formula E in Geneva in early March, is very well executed.”
Formula E will provide the chassis as well as the battery. All powertrain components, however, are the competitors’ own developments. This enables Porsche to find bespoke solutions for key technologies such as the electric motor, inverter, brake-by-wire system, transmission, differential, driveshafts, monocoque and the suspension components attached to the rear axle, as well as the cooling system and ECU.
The energy efficiency of the powertrain not only plays a decisive role in a competition attracting many of the world’s most renowned car manufacturers, but it is also central to the development of road-going electric vehicles.
Porsche’s entry into Formula E in 2019 will coincide with the market launch of the production version of the concept study Mission E. The first all-electric Porsche is currently under development with the aim of creating the most sports-focused and technologically advanced car in its class. Porsche will invest more than US$7b in electric mobility before the end of 2022.
