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Formula E pre-season testing in Valencia – green light for the voestalpine European Races

19 October 2018 |

In early December the world’s first fully-electric international single-seater category in motorsport, the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, starts what is now its fifth racing season and brings groundbreaking innovations for both fans and drivers. In addition to a more efficient race car, more teams, and new circuits during the 2018/19 season the 22 drivers will also be competing in the voestalpine European Races for the first time. This will offer the eleven Formula E teams the opportunity to fight for another prestigious award in a totally new competition category. In the contest to be named winner of the voestalpine European Races, action-packed high-speed manoeuvres are certain to be on the cards during the five European E-Prix in Rome, Paris, Berlin, Monaco and Bern. During the Formula E official pre-season test in Valencia, Spain, from October 16 - 19, the teams will be making their first public debut ahead of preparations for the start of the season.

Just as tennis players in the Grand Slam and ski jumpers at the Four Hills Tournament are crowned champions of their sport, in future the best Formula E drivers will have the chance to catapult themselves to the top of tomorrow’s mobility with a victory on the racetracks in five major European cities. In the 2018/19 season, this new generation race series officially marks the start of the battle for the first ever voestalpine European Races crown. Not only sporting success awaits the winner, but also a trophy manufactured using 3D metal printing with voestalpine technology.

It’s competition that drives people to produce peak performances, both in business and in sport. That makes the ABB FIA Formula E Championship the driving force behind consistent technological developments in electromobility, and the perfect partner for us as the voestalpine Group in our efforts to continually expand our position in this dynamic and growing market. We want to use the voestalpine European Races to more strongly promote environmentally friendly mobility in the public sphere, as well as underscoring our role in making this vision a reality.

Wolfgang Eder, Chairman of the Management Board of voestalpine AG

Season five: more efficient cars, new teams, tracks, and features

All in all, the ABB FIA Formula E Championship covers 13 international races, including new venues such as Sanya in China and Bern in Switzerland. The highlights of the new season are the futuristic and far more efficient second generation race cars (#Gen2), with 250 kW and almost twice the storage capacity, removing the need for vehicle changes during the race. This year the drivers enjoy more performance with the “attack mode”, allowing pilots to visibly accelerate through an activation zone which cranks up the power from 200 kW to 225 kW. The races are also being timed to 45 minutes plus one lap. Finally, as well as new addition HWA RACELAB, both BMW i Andretti Motorsport and Nissan e.dams are entering the electric street racing series in season five.

Formula E is also unique in how it encourages fan interaction. The Formula E races, or E-Prix, not only stand out by being run over city circuits, in close proximity to the fans, but also by offering the public the chance to actively engage in the races, using FANBOOST. Fans can vote for their favorite drivers online and via social media channels to give them an extra boost of energy during the race.

Since the inaugural season, the ABB FIA Formula E Championship has continued to develop independently as a testing platform for electromobility - with this season being a clear demonstration of that. As a result of the technological advancements made in only four seasons, we will be watching even more electrifying racing in the hearts of cities in the 2018/19 season. In collaboration with the FIA, we’re making electromobility tangible for the public where in future it will become a reality.

Alejandro Agag, Founder and CEO of Formula E

voestalpine & Formula E

Since its first season in 2014, the ABB FIA Formula E Championship has taken a completely new route in motorsport by offering a platform in which road-relevant technologies can be tested in direct competition, driving the development of sustainable mobility solutions around the world. Diverging from traditional pathways has also been the consistent leitmotif of the voestalpine Group which has successfully transformed itself from a steel company into a global technology and capital goods group over the past 15 years. Today voestalpine is a leading global supplier of electrical steel, a sophisticated pre-material used in the production of electric motors, and a technology leader in the production of high-strength yet lightweight body parts and components for battery casings.

The voestalpine Group

In its business segments, voestalpine is a globally leading technology group with a unique combination of material and processing expertise. voestalpine, which operates globally, has around 500 Group companies and locations in more than 50 countries on all five continents. It has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since 1995. With its top-quality products and system solutions using steel and other metals, it is one of the leading partners to the automotive and consumer goods industries in Europe as well as to the aerospace and oil & gas industries worldwide. voestalpine is also the world market leader in turnout technology, special rails, tool steel, and special sections. In the business year 2017/18, the Group generated revenue of around EUR 13 billion, with an operating result (EBITDA) of almost EUR 2 billion; it has around 51,600 employees worldwide.

About the ABB FIA Formula E Championship

The ABB FIA Formula E Championship is the electric street racing series and the world’s first fully-electric international single-seater category in motorsport. Formula E brings intense and unpredictable racing to some of the world’s most recognisable and progressive cities - including Hong Kong, Rome, Paris, Berlin and New York.

Formula E enters a new and exciting era in season five with the competitive debut of the next generation car. The striking new model boasts a distinctive futuristic design and demonstrates a clear step-up in performance with almost double the energy storage capacity - allowing teams and drivers to complete a full race distance at higher speeds without needing to swap cars. The Gen2 car is a testament to the ongoing advancements in battery and electric vehicle technology in the space of only four years.

The fifth edition of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship will see 11 teams and 22 drivers tackle a variety of challenging circuits in 12 cities - across five continents - in a bid to be crowned champion. Formula E will be making its debut in the Middle East on December 15 for the season-opener in Ad Diriyah, with the championship once again coming to a close in New York City over the course of two days on July 13 & 14.

The concept of Formula E is to act as a platform to test and develop road-relevant technologies, helping refine the design and functionality of components and infrastructure - actively speeding-up the transition and uptake of electric vehicles on a global scale.

Formula E is continuing to attract some of the leading names and renowned brands in motorsport and the automotive industry. For this season, Formula E has nine manufacturers on its roster - including Nissan - taking over the existing entry from Renault - and BMW linking-up with Andretti. This number is set to rise further still, with the highly-anticipated inclusion of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche in season six.

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