Drivers will have more power at their disposal for the second season of the FIA Formula E championship following successful testing by battery supplier Williams Advanced Engineering.
In season one, drivers were restricted to a maximum power output of 150kW during races and 200kW in practice and qualifying sessions, with penalties being applied for exceeding these limits.
Ahead of the second season, it was confirmed that teams were trying out a new race mode of 170kW during testing to evaluate a possible increase for the new campaign.
On Friday, it was confirmed that the increase from 150kW to 170kW had been given the green light for the start of the new Formula E season in Beijing on October 24.
“The development of future battery technologies is fundamental to the ethos of the championship,” Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag said.
“Formula E is all about showcasing the progression of electric vehicle technology and thanks to the battery development from Williams Advanced Engineering we will see faster, more efficient and exciting racing this coming season.”
Craig Wilson of Williams Advanced Engineering explained how his team had been working to ensure that the extra power does not come at the cost of reliability for the second season.
“Formula E is all about pushing electric vehicle technology to its limits and showcasing its evolution to the public,” Wilson said. “Williams Advanced Engineering is working on a diverse portfolio of electric and hybrid vehicle projects and the learnings from Formula E are invaluable in developing our technology.
“During season two the batteries will now be operating at 30 per cent more power than they were initially designed for and we have upgraded certain components and worked closely with the teams to make sure that this is sustainable without significantly affecting reliability.”