BMW Unveils Formula E Racer For Season 5

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By Erika Clugston

The Formula E championship is just around the corner, with the fifth season starting December 15th in Saudi Arabia. This is the first season in which BMW will participate as an official manufacturer with the BMW iFE.18, which showed promise during its test in Calafat back in April. This is exciting because engineers working on the i3 drive components collaborated with the racing team, to create an exchange of information between the track and the street. And as  the name suggests, the car is staying within the ‘i-family’, which also includes the i3 and upcoming iX3 and i4. The racer will be officially unveiled on September 14th, finally giving us a glimpse of how it will really look and drive.

BMW iFE.18 at the Formula E test

BMW motorsport boss Jens Marquardt described that the BMW iFE.18 marks a milestone for the company, and said back in April that, “This Formula E project has seen the most remarkable technology transfer between production and motorsport in the history of BMW. Everyone involved has breathed life into the ‘TechLab for BMW i’ motto from the word go. I can hardly wait to see the car racing for the first time in the BMW i Motorsport colours when season five gets going.”

There will be eleven teams racing this coming season, with Nissan also joining the all-electric series and showcasing a beautifully designed generation two racer. All cars will use the same next-generation Formula E design for the chassis, designed by Spark Racing Technology. The inner elements of the cars, such as electronics, inverters, gearboxes, and motors, are completely up to the teams themselves. Spark stated, “This is a new challenge for Spark as the new car must go twice the distance of the current cars, which will be accomplished by more efficient aero design, lower weight and better efficiency in the drivetrain.”

As we continue to follow the developments of all electric racing on CleanTechnica, it’s exciting to note that the Formula E cars keep getting faster, and the range gets longer. They are lighter, have double the energy storage, and promise to reach a top speed of around 170 miles per hour. Season 5 is bringing big changes, such as new locations and activation zones in timed races, as opposed to laps. Only time will tell which car is going to end up crossing that finish line first, but technologically speaking it’s exciting all around.


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