Formula E’s governing body the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) have released details of its tender process for the new Gen3 car which aims to be faster, lighter, smaller and feature ultra-fast charging technology.
The 176-pages of documents details the specific battery, chassis and tyre requirements for the all-new Gen3 car which will compete from the 2022/2023 season onwards.
The current Gen2 car will race for a total of four seasons, but with a ‘Gen2.5’ iteration introduced from 2020/2021 featuring a significant upgrade to the front and rear bodywork.
Some of the main Gen3 tender requirements centre around the maximum power requirements (although applicants have been requested to submit two scenarios), with cars set to be able to hit 350kW in qualifying mode and Attack Mode.
Weight is another area with the target car weight, including the driver, set to be 780kg, which would make Formula E’s third-generation car 120kg lighter than the present package. This includes reducing the weight of the battery from the current 385kg to 284kg.
There are also plans for a revolutionary 30-second fast-charging system which would see the return of in-race pit stops with the reasoning listed as.
“To keep positioning the Formula E World Championship as the laboratory of cutting-edge technologies for electric cars”.
Fast charging power will be capped at a 600kW maximum and will give an extra 4kWh of usable energy. Series promoter Formula E will be responsible for the new car charging system, including the energy supply, the distribution network and the charging equipment to be used.
Other key areas include maintaining cost controls with the cost-cap of a customer car (not including battery and manufacturer parts) set to be €340,000.
Companies wishing to bid for these supply deals have until 31 March 2020 to submit applications, with the FIA set to make the final selection on 19 June, and the first crash tests taking place in August 2021.
Manufacturer teams will receive their first test and development cars in January 2022 before their race cars arrive in August ahead of the season starting at the end of the same year.