formula e Gen4 Will Be ‘Game Over’ For Formula One
The debate rages over which is better to drive – electric or internal combustion.
World Rallycross is even planning to pit one against the other in its forthcoming 2024 season.
As the tenth season of formula e is due to commence this coming weekend in Mexico, the Gen3 car is now bedded in.
Thoughts are already turning to unleashing more of its potential and what the next big Gen4 upgrade has in store.
The Current State of formula e
The Gen3 car had a bumpy start to its tenure, with plenty of bugs to be fixed.
After race three or four, they were up to speed, with enhanced software controls.
The Cars in Season 10 will be fundamentally the same as last year in terms of hardware, but with incremental software updates.
Maserati, as the only Italian luxury brand in formula e, sees the series as key for its future.
Its race win at the 2023 Jakarta E-Prix was its first single-seater victory since 1957.
Impact on Maserati
Maserati began racing in 1914, so 2024 is its 110th anniversary.
With plans to have an electric version in its entire range by 2025 and all Products to be fully electric by 2030, Maserati’s roadmap is tight.
Formula E will deliver key technology knowledge to its road Cars, which have always had an emphasis on performance.
Advance in technology
“What we learn about Energy consumption will be key,” says Giovanni Sgro, Head of Maserati Corse.
“We can maximize Energy and optimize brake regeneration. This includes data from the championship drivers themselves, not just the output from the powertrain technology.”
However, one thing that was mooted for last season, which never materialized, was in-race charging.
The plan is to add a 30-second recharge at 600kW, which would replenish 4-5kWh to the battery and potentially extend the race distance by up to 10% or provide greater performance for longer.
Gen4 Upgrade Expectations
While Season 10 will run with the same Gen3 car as Season 9 and just incremental software updates, formula e is already looking towards Gen4.
“The Gen4 tenders have been awarded and it seems far away, but the work could start very soon,” says Sylvain Filippi, Managing Director and CTO of the Envision Virgin Racing formula e Team.
The car is likely to have at least 600kW of power and a battery with more Energy to enable faster speeds and possibly longer races.
The performance and stiffness of the car could mean formula e has to rethink which circuits it uses with the Gen4, as it could be too fast for some existing tracks.
formula e vs. Formula One
Filippi reckons the Gen3 car could already compete against F1, with a different setup.
In the not-too-distant future, formula e could leap ahead of Formula One, making it a potential game-changer for the racing industry.
“Gen4 will show the platform is continuing to make an exciting race in formula e,” adds Giovanni Sgro, Head of Maserati Corse.
Season 10 and Future Locations
Just before christmas, one of those places dropped off the season calendar when a new administration in Hyderabad in India reneged on the deal its predecessor had made to host a race on February 10th.
However, Tokyo and Shanghai are still on the season schedule as new destinations.
“china is also the HQ of my team Envision, so amazing for tech and then going back to Monaco and London, all the cool places we’ve been before,” says Filippi.
Conclusion
formula e is a showcase of the latest and greatest tech and the speed of sheer acceleration.
The bigger the sports, the bigger the region, the bigger the impact we have.
formula e is indeed making strides and looking ahead to a promising future in the world of racing.
Source: forbes
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