EV Motorsport 🏎️⚡ Dilemma: Bold Developments vs Safe Bets

This article is a summary of a ClubHouse discussion organised on May 5th 2021. List of the Speakers at the end…

➡️ EVs ⚡are ramping up among Motorsport series, but a mixture of “traditional IC Engines” and “Electric Motors” will co-exist in Motorsport for a long time

➡️ Electrification will also enter in “classic motorsport” when it clearly brings a technical elements that makes sense (more power, new options…) ➡️ for example, energy recuperation ♨️. We already can see electrification entering in segments that were traditionally for “petrol-heads” such as the World Rally Championship or electric Touring Car

➡️ Generally speaking, it would be very interesting to compare IC Engines, Hybrids, Hydrogen and Electric Technology in a unique competition, be it a championship or a single race 🏁 (such as Le Mans). But this sounds extremely difficult because of regulations and standards. For example, limitation in fuel quantity ⛽ should get an EV equivalent making the comparison difficult. The only “true option” would be to compare technologies with complete freedom but that would result in unnecessary risk and danger ☠️ for the competition. Another problem would be the political acceptance 🤬 of this result in terms of image for mobility (whatever the result)

➡️ Formula E is obviously the Graal of EV but has painted itself into a corner (see comments below). Future series such a electric GT or the electric DTM seems more interesting for technological differentiation between OEMs. These series should help in the current development of Batteries, inverters, electric motors but also fast charging

About the Formula E:

➡️ Formula E - during our discussion - appeared to be more a window for car manufacturers to promote “Green and Electro-mobility” image rather than a “true” Motorsport series. Formula E seems too scared to give freedom for technical development. They do not want to risk anything wrong happening… but, at the end, nothing at all happens 😴

➡️ Very certainly, the absence of rookies such as RIVIAN, etc. limiting the players to the traditional OEMs gives a false impression of lobby and fear (mainly of the German OEMs) to be dominated by “new-players”and China. On the other side, it is not clear whether these new big startbusters (start-up + blockbuster) would really benefit from showcasing in Motorsport as their main objective is not to gain visibility anymore but to become financially sustainable

➡️ Broadly speaking, Formula E gives an impression to be a copy-paste of Formula 1 but “different”, losing a proper identity and charism. Their fan database if for sure not comparable to Formula 1 at all (see for example the engagement of the fans on Instagram)

➡️ Formula E lacks of charismatic technical Engineers who can push the technical side to the general public such as Gordon Murray did in the past in Formula 1. A charismatic pilot would also be a welcomed addition

➡️ Technical developments in Formula E are very limited imposing that all teams use the same Battery, the same inverter, etc. If imposing a mono-spec Series was a good thing to initiate the Series, after 5 years, it sounds a little bit too conservative as if the FIA and/or the Formula E are scared to give freedom to the Teams (the discussion seems to indicate that most of panelist customers were keen on developing their own technologies). Other options to try to “boost” the public interest are not technical and are closer to video-game features (recurrent discussions among Engineers)

➡️ A major problem is that Formula E does not use the “best of the technology” because of multiple limitations: not only the budget/cost supposed to guarantee equity among Teams but also the common technical elements such as the Battery or the inverter. Accordingly, it is difficult to promote technical excellence as Formula 1 does, which is contradictory with the promotion of a new technology. Even some smaller developments are simply forbidden: for example, using low friction DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coatings is not allowed while it would clearly result in better efficiency/power (reduction of loss by friction)

➡️ Formula E struggles to promote “technology development” because very little technical elements are explained to the public. For example, the panelists do not believe that the general public understands what is a BMS or an inverter, while they are blamed when something goes wrong. An additional problem is the difficulty to “showcase” these technologies as the “know-how” relies on Power-electronics or energy management, which are not visual things

➡️ On a road car, the Battery is said to be one of the major technological item and a key differentiator. Yet, in Formula E, all Teams run the same imposed Battery which is difficult to understand for the public… From a Formula E organisation point of view, opening development on Battery is a clear risk: costs will rise and accidents are likely to happen. How to manage the PR image of Electric Vehicles if a Battery catches fire during a race?

➡️ About the limitation of energy from the Battery (sometimes resulting in a failure to finish the race because the pilot exhausted it), the panelists call for both extremes: (1) energy management is a difficult concept to understand for the general public, so that it would be may be a good idea not to limit the battery; (2) on the other side, you need to limit “something” to impose the Teams to manage the race differently. In Formula 1, fuel mass flow is limited so Battery power is here very identical

➡️ At the end, Formula E seems to be buried into constraints: (1) no possibility for the team to develop a unique innovative solution = everyone gets the same technologies; (2) simultaneously, energy-management limits the risk and options that can take a team; (3) risk management has removed any “uncertainties” such as contact between cars during the race. At the end, forcing homogeneity and preventing any risk taking results in a relatively boring Series and a lack of public engagement

Thanks to the Speakers:

• Don Wright, former Head of Department for Electrification and Racing Test Systems at AVL

• Adriano Titta, High Voltage Battery Engineer at Manifattura Automobili Torino

• Marc Herve, Segment Motorsport Manager at Oerlikon