DS Performance and Total have renewed their pre-existing global agreement until 2021, which will see the fuels and lubricants manufacturer support DS in its FIA Formula E Championship campaign. The association has been described as ‘the latest chapter in the collaboration between DS and Total’ which dates back to the 1960s when Total developed a lubricant and fluids for the original DS road car.
As of the next ePrix in Buenos Aires (18 February, 2017), the DSV-02 will benefit from a transmission lubricant tailor-formulated by the engineers of the Total Research Center at Solaize (CReS). This new lubricant allows the efficiency of the gearbox to be greatly improved, thus lowering the energy consumption of the car. In the short term, Total will also offer the team other products currently under development, including fluids designed to optimise the cooling system of the electric motor and its inverter, thereby achieving valuable savings in the amount of electrical energy used by the DSV-02 and facilitating performance management during races.
“DS Performance is in Formula E because the series offers a scope for research that no other form of motorsport can currently match,” explained Xavier Mestelan Pinon, director, DS Performance. “At this stage in the DSV-02’s development, we are exploring solutions to the different constraints we face. Total needs no introduction and our association with them has already harvested valuable efficiency-related gains. The lubricants, fluids and greases Total’s engineers have developed will bring a real plus in terms of performance and are also allowing us to push our own research work even further.”
“Formula E embodies the sporting expression of the evolution of the automotive industry with regard to the energy mix,” added Pierre-Gautier Caloni, director of Total Competition & Sponsoring. “The values of this championship are shared by Total. This partnership with DS Performance will enable our engineers to design, develop and test specific lubricants, fluids and greases under extreme stress conditions. Ultimately, technology transfer will enable electric vehicle owners to benefit from these products. Indeed, at Total, the same researchers formulate the competition products and those for the general public. A real “best-practice” laboratory, Formula E brings real added value to the mobility of all.”
