The victories of Jake Dennis and Envision Racing bring the curtain down on the first year of the third era of Formula E. The premises on the eve were not the best, with repeated reliability problems which led to fear the worst both from a safety point of view that of the show. However, the reaction to the initial mistakes was the best and, despite the profound changes, the races weren’t affected. The E-Prix retained their strategic component e the uncertainty up to the last meters, characteristics that have always distinguished the category. However, in parallel with the advantages, the Gen3 brings with it some youthful defects, which can be addressed with the arrival of the Evo version.
The numbers of the jump
The third generation was an unprecedented technological leap, not comparable to that made between Gen1 and Gen2. Not only the new cars they brought with them extra pulling power of 100 kW, double compared to what was gained between the first and second generations, but they have increased the regeneration power by a good 350 kW. The merit is to be divided between the new front generator and a battery capable of sustaining higher and longer powers.
By regenerating energy from all four wheels, the Gen3 is now able to recharge between 40 and 50% of the energy needed to complete the race under braking, allowing the battery to be downsized. The accumulator cells themselves have benefited from new materials which have increased their power and energy density, reducing their weight with the same autonomy and performance. The result was a more powerful car but still 50 kg lighter than the previous onewhose less weight helps to further reduce consumption.
Efficiency enhances the show
The measures taken to improve efficiency have benefited the cleaning of the show on the track, reducing the number of accidents. The Gen3 was born smaller than the Gen2, both in width and in length. The narrowing of the cars made it possible to reduce the energy expended in overcoming aerodynamic resistance, but it also helped the drivers to avoid collisions on the narrow city tracks. Thanks to the reduced weight and the greater energy recharged under braking, the front wheel fairing to bring down the drag was now superfluous, allowing it to be eliminated. Their absence has weakened the structure of the front wings, discouraging pilots from daring aggressive maneuvers with the Gen2s, now aware that the risk of incurring damage from each contact is greater.
The increased energy efficiency of the Gen3 finally made it possible to speed up the drawing of new circuits and part of the old ones, especially London. The tight hairpin bends and chicanes of the past were in fact present above all to increase braking and recharging opportunities, but often also became the scene of traffic jams. Their slow disappearance has influenced the number of accidents in the race, also benefiting the visual spectacle thanks to smoother driving and higher speeds.
Untapped potential
At the end of the first season, the feeling is that the potential of Gen3 has not been fully exploited. Despite the 50 kg less and 100 kW more, it becomes difficult for the spectator to become aware of the technological leap made, if the times in qualifying remain in line with the previous generation. Also the 4×4 single-seater concept it does not appear on the outside as long as the front engine is usable under braking, but not under acceleration. A big limitation to performance were the Hankook tyres, extremely hard and with low grip. It was not a matter of a shortcoming of the Korean tire specialist, as the responsibility lies instead in the specifications requested by the organizers.
One of the reasons behind this choice was to reduce the wear of the tread and grooves, in order to prevent the tires from being completely slick in the event of rain at the end of the race, a scenario that occurred in New York in 2022. A low grip tire, however, is it also proves to be inefficient, since the shorter cornering distances force you to spend more energy to regain speed, not to mention the waste due to tire slippage. For Formula E, the moment of the transition to the double rubber, slick and wet, it’s getting closer.
Variety of formats
A pleasant problem that Formula E is called to face in the coming years is the overabundance of energy in its cars. The Gen3 battery has 54 kWh of capacity, but only 41 were authorized for the first race in Mexico. Single-seaters turned out far too efficient and with little need to save energy, so much so that the first E-Prix was held almost flat out, with few overtakings and wide gaps.
To remedy the problem, during the year the usable energy was progressively decreased, until it reached between 38 and 36 kWh. The current picture therefore is that of cars with of unused energy, which can be exploited to the advantage of the show. For the future, speeding up track design even further may be an option, but already now Formula E is able to diversify its racing formats.
The traditional E-Prix is now joined by “cycling” races, in which the exploitation of the slipstream and knowing how to move in the group make the difference. Towards the end of the year, the “sprint” races with little management arrived, in which the pilots are called to give everything from the early stages. The urgency, however, is for an adaptation of the narrative by the promoters, guiding the viewer through the logic of the strategies of the new formats. If you want the public to appreciate a sport, you need to fully understand it, a priority that is also valid for development and the technical war between manufacturers, which is still too far from the spotlight.
Mistakes not to be repeated
One of the ambitions of the Gen3 was to create a single-seater without rear brakes, capable of braking at the rear with only the electric motor. In practice, the objective was achieved, but not without violent accidents during private and collective tests, due to the impossibility for the drivers to brake in time if the single-seater shut down, a phenomenon linked to youth. The Reaction, with the addition of mechanical emergency brakes, was up to par, but that didn’t detract from that the category has run serious risks not just about safety.
The rumors at the beginning of the year were those of a championship that is at risk of being boycotted or in any case undermined by numerous accidents, giving rise to the already many detractors of Formula E. Entirely “electric” brake projects also exist in the world of industry, however always supported by a redundancy of batteries to make emergency braking possible in all circumstances, even in the event of failure of one of the power sources. The mistake was not the desire to dare, but the short-sighted assessment of the risks involved and the preventive measures to adopt. After what happened, the caution that prompted the postponement of the introduction by a year is understandable quick charge pit stop. The return of the stops will be the big news for next season, going to liven up the race strategies considerably.
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