The issue of battery management has always been central in Formula E, both for the charging cycle and for the temperature issue, given that some events are held in locations with torrid climates, such as Brazil.
It is not the first time that the FIA and the championship organizers have taken action during the season, especially for those weekends which, according to the simulations, should place the battery in a scenario of great stress.
Precisely for this reason, in view of the two races in Berlin this weekend, the duration of the Attack Mode was reduced to six minutes for the race on Saturday, and then dropped to just four minutes in total for the final race on Sunday, which among other things it will also see two laps less than the one the day before.
“The duration of the Attack Mode for the Berlin E-Prix has been shortened as part of the normal and ongoing process of monitoring the life cycle of the cars. The Sporting Regulations have been specifically designed to allow this flexibility in the format,” said reads in a note from the FIA with which it confirmed the reduction in the duration of the Attack Mode.
The Gen 3 battery: to impose less stress, the duration of the Attack Mode will be reduced
Photo by: Andreas Beil
In previous events this season, the 350 kW mode could be used in the race for a total of eight minutes, divided into two different activations: two four-minute activations or, with a different mode, a two-minute period after he added another six minutes. In this scenario, it is essential to keep in mind that the most powerful mapping is not only used in the race, but also during some phases in free practice and during qualifying duels.
The increased strain on the battery during the year has meant that the FIA and battery supplier WAE have taken precautionary measures to protect the units, starting this weekend in Germany.
“I understand why they’re doing it, obviously with the battery issues, they don’t want to stress the battery at 350kW for too long,” said reigning champion Jake Dennis.
“If it has to be done, it has to be done. I’m not for or against, it’s just part of the situation we’re in and it will be the same for everyone, so it doesn’t change much. I think it’s more of a Williams proposal than anything else [WAE]”Dennis added.
Sao Paulo is one of the most demanding races for the battery due to the long straights and high temperatures
Photo by: DPPI
“Obviously it’s up to Williams to make these decisions, we have nothing to do with that decision-making process, it’s up to them to decide how many minutes of Attack Mode we are allowed to use. It has nothing to do with the battery temperature this weekend , it’s not that hot, it’s just that the cars are so fast now with 350kW that they put a lot of energy into the system and that leads to a lot of stress from the Powertrain itself down to the battery. It’s part of the situation we’re in.”
Although in this case the problem is not linked to general temperatures, over the course of the season several drivers had to deal with overheating of the battery and powertrain, which then leads to a power cut, better known as “derating”. In particular, this phenomenon was seen in Sao Paulo, where a combination of scorching heat and long straights with continuous effort from the Powertrain put the battery under stress.
Obviously, this aspect adds to the continuous charging and discharging cycle during the race weekends, because the number of batteries per season is limited by the regulation, which is why at the end of the championship we tend to observe some signs of wear that could compromise their ‘reliability.
Photo by: Andreas Beil
“Batteries age slowly at the moment, race by race, because we do more cycles,” added Lucas di Grassi.
“I don’t think it’s a problem with the batteries, but in some races, in hot ones like Sao Paulo, where you lose a lot of power and you want to recover a lot of energy, the battery suffers more from problems related to temperatures. Here it won’t be a problem battery temperature”.
Formula E has yet to complete the German weekend in Berlin, but behind the scenes the championship organizers and the FIA are already thinking about how to manage and take other precautionary measures for the upcoming rounds in Shanghai and Portland, which will be two of the fastest events of the entire calendar.
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