Pit stops have a rather checkered history in Formula E Electric World Championship racing. In the first seasons, single-seaters were plagued by low battery capacity, so the racers had to go to the pits halfway through the race and replace the car with a new one with fully charged batteries. In 2018, the second generation of formulas came with a higher battery capacity, which eliminated the need to pit, as the racing cars (mostly) managed to drive the entire race.
Having to visit the pits tends to be an interesting diversion in similar races, so Formula E officials were looking for a way to bring this element back to the electric formula championship. In November of last year, they therefore came up with the idea to mandatory energy replenishment in exchange for the possibility to use the increased power mode (350 kW instead of the normal 300 kW), called “Attack mode” twice during the race.
Electric Formula Pit Stops
600 kW boosters capable of “pouring” 4 kWh of energy into the monopost in just half a minute were to be used to charge the batteries. The support for fast charging was connected with the debut of the third generation of race cars, referred to as Gen 3, with which the racers are competing this season.
It was obvious from the beginning that the technology necessary for fast charging is not quite ready yet. That is why her deployment was originally planned only from the middle of the season, not from the very beginning. The reason for the delay was the need to carry out further tests of the fast charging systems and batteries supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering. Later, the plan for pit stops was postponed until the last races of the season.
In the end, however, the audience will not see dramatic pit stops. The system of rapid charging of batteries during the race is postponed until next season, reports Engadget magazine. “I think we’ll wait until next year and do it the right way,” said Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle at a press conference in Berlin.
Problems in the supply chain
“The technology is ready,” said Formula Electric Championship co-founder Alberto Longo in an interview with Motorsport Total magazine. “It works, but currently many people plagued by supply chain issuesand that’s the main reason why we couldn’t put it into practice this season.”
The new system is expected to fundamentally change racing strategies. A change in the method of obtaining the ability to temporarily use the enhanced performance mode could have a major effect on the performance during the season. Until now, pilots were entitled to use the “Attack” mode for passing a certain part of the track in a less favorable track.
“It will have a big impact on the sporting format and to do it in just three or four races at the end of the season, even if we are able to do it, probably wouldn’t be the right decision.” Longo said. “We would like to introduce it later this season, but I don’t think so this is not completely realistic to implement at the moment.“
2023-04-30 12:45:23
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