Over the years, the NIO team has often changed its identity by associating itself with different names, although the basis has always remained the same, associated with the Silverstone-based team. However, yesterday the conclusion of the relationship with the Chinese brand was announced, putting an end to that collaboration with the Chinese company NEXTEV which had acquired the team before the end of the first season, when it was still called China Racing Team.
At the end of that year, which also coincided with the first ever Formula E championship in 2014-2015, the team managed to win the title with Nelson Piquet Jr., the Brazilian son of art. From that moment on, no other victories came, but only one podium, conquered in Mexico in 2018 by Oliver Turvey, a driver who remained within the British team for almost eight years.
In fact, although the team had been purchased by NEXTEV, also owner of the NIO brand, in reality the team’s base has always been in England, because the project was born with the support of the Drayson Racing company under the banner of Team China Racing . Now, with the conclusion of the collaboration with NIO and the arrival of a new investor from the Asian continent, the team has changed its skin again and will now be known as Electric Racing Technology (ERT).
Photo by: ERT Formula E Team
ERT Formula E Team livery
The Team Principal defined this new arrival as an exciting step in the team’s path in Formula E, which also makes it the only team to have to independently develop Powertrain and management software without the support of a large manufacturer. Although each team can customize the software, in the case of ERT all the work behind the scenes for the production of the Powertrain is added, among other things with funds that are certainly not comparable to those of the big companies, which have decided to invest conspicuously on Formula E.
ERT wants to develop its engineering skills as a constructor in Formula E, with the idea of supplying more teams in the future, although it remains to be seen whether any teams might be interested, given their links with the major constructors currently present in the championship.
To kick off this new adventure, the team has unveiled a completely new and different livery compared to last year, as if to represent a clear break from the past. The new single-seater called ERT of the team, yellow. Added to this are several white lines, which seem to recall the fencing of an electronic circuit, reconnecting the relationship between the car and technology.
Photo by: ERT Formula E Team
ERT Formula E Team livery
#era #begins #ERT #livery #X24 #revealed