A Formula E car is an

open-wheel An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

car made according to the regulations of the

International Automobile Federation International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(FIA) to take part in the

FIA Formula E Championship Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The series was conceived in 2011 in Paris by FIA president Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, who ...

. Formula E is a sport for

electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quiet ...

s, and they are powered by

batteries Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

and an

electric motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate f ...

. Races are mainly driven on closed temporary street circuits designed specifically for this racing category.

Generations

As of 2022 there have been three major generations of Formula E cars: * 1st generation (2014–15 to 2017–18) ** 1st season: 2014–15 ** 2nd season: 2015–16 ** 3rd season: 2016–17 ** 4th season: 2017–18 * 2nd generation (2018–19 to 2021–22) ** 5th season: 2018–19 ** 6th season: 2019–20 ** 7th season: 2020–21 ** 8th season: 2021-2022 * 3rd generation (from 2023) ** 9th season: 2022-2023

1st generation (2014–15 to 2017–18)

Even though the FIA originally planned for the category to be open to various chassis manufacturers, the only licensed Formula E model for the inaugural season (2014–2015) was the

Spark-Renault SRT 01E The Spark-Renault SRT_01E, also known as the SRT01-e (since the 2015–16 season) or the Spark Gen1 (after the introduction of the successive Gen2 chassis), was an electric formula race car designed for the inaugural season of Formula E, in 20 ...

. The electric components were assembled by

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

while the chassis was designed by

Dallara Dallara is an Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Gian Paolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' Melegari ( Parma), Italy he create ...

, and the car was assembled by

Spark Racing Technology Spark Racing Technology (SRT) is a motorsport manufacturer specialized in the development and engineering of high-performance e-mobility cars and modules. The company was founded by Frédéric Vasseur to become the sole chassis supplier for the ...

. In Season 2 (2015–16), the SRT_01E was opened up for private development by the teams when it came to the motor,

gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), diff ...

and suspensions. The specifications for the

Spark-Renault SRT_01E The Spark-Renault SRT_01E, also known as the SRT01-e (since the 2015–16 season) or the Spark Gen1 (after the introduction of the successive Gen2 chassis), was an electric formula race car designed for the inaugural season of Formula E, in 20 ...

are:

2nd generation (2018–19 to 2021–22)

Nico Rosberg Formula E Gen2 car 2018 Berlin E-Prix on track

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. The tender for the 2nd Generation car was won by Spark Racing Technology. The original battery specifications included a cell-weight limit, a 200 kW peak power limit, and a maximum usable energy of 28

kWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bill ...

. For the 2018–2019 season, the specifications for the battery was a weight of 250 kg and 54

energy, and peak power was 250 kW. The

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

s (18650VTC6) was to be made by

Murata Manufacturing is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic components, based in Nagaokakyo, Kyoto. Honorary Chairman Akira Murata started Murata Manufacturing as a personal venture in October, 1944. In December 1950 reorganized the company into Murata Manufac ...

, the integration by

Lucid Motors Lucid Group, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Newark, California. The company was founded in 2007. Deliveries of the Dream Edition launch versions were made available to the first group of 520 reservation hold ...

, and track handling by McLaren. Also new for the generation 2 cars was the inclusion of a halo crash protection device. The specifications for the

Spark SRT05e The Spark SRT05E, also known as the Spark Gen2 (or the Spark Gen2EVO for the upgraded chassis set to be introduced in the 2020–21 season but eventually cancelled) is an electric formula race car designed for use in the FIA Formula E Championsh ...

are:

3rd generation (from 2022)

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.Formula E Gen3 race car to be unveiled in Monaco , FIA Formula E
/ref> 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. 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". This contributes to the car, at the launch in 2022, being expected to become the world's most energy efficient race car ever.GEN3 FACTS: Performance x Efficiency x Sustainability , FIA Formula E
/ref> 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. The specifications for the 3rd generation Formula E cars are:

Transmission

During the first season in 2014–2015, all teams used a Hewland 5-speed

sequential gearbox A sequential manual transmission, also known as a sequential gearbox, or a sequential transmission, is a type of non-synchronous manual transmission used mostly for motorcycles and racing cars. It produces faster shift times than traditional ...

operated by the driver semi-automatically via paddles on the steering wheel similar to Formula 1. 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. 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 In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...

curve of the motor at different

rotational speed Rotational frequency (also known as rotational speed or rate of rotation) of an object rotating around an axis is the frequency of rotation of the object. Its unit is revolution per minute (rpm), cycle per second (cps), etc. The symbol fo ...

s ( r/min). By season 4 in 2017–2018, all teams were running single-speed gearboxes. 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 A gear train is a mechanical system formed by mounting gears on a frame so the teeth of the gears engage. Gear teeth are designed to ensure the pitch circles of engaging gears roll on each other without slipping, providing a smooth transmission ...

, and Formula E cars without multi-speed gearboxes have thus far had a single-speed gear rather than a true

direct-drive mechanism A direct-drive mechanism is a mechanism design where the force or torque from a prime mover is transmitted directly to the effector device (such as the drive wheels of a vehicle) without involving any intermediate couplings such as a gear tra ...

Sound

The second generation Formula E car from 2017 had a noise level of about 80

decibel The decibel (symbol: dB) is a relative unit of measurement equal to one tenth of a bel (B). It expresses the ratio of two values of a power or root-power quantity on a logarithmic scale. Two signals whose levels differ by one decibel have a ...

s, which is 10 dB louder than an average petrol road car or about as loud as a domestic vacuum cleaner.

Notes and references

External links

Official site
* (fr)La Spark-Renault SRT01E en images
- Abcmoteur.fr, September 22, 2013 Electric cars Formula E {{motorsports-stub