NEWARK, CA—The Formula E series recently kicked off its 9th season with races in Mexico City and Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Eleven two-car teams are competing in next-generation vehicles that are equipped with drive units produced by Lucid Group Inc.
The world’s leading electric racing series, which is sponsored by ABB, takes place on twisty street circuits in urban settings. Many automakers are involved in the competition, including Citroen, Jaguar, Mahindra, Maserati, Nissan and Porsche. Formula E has also attracted teams from big names in motor racing such as Andretti, McLaren and Penske.
The Gen3 design boasts new chassis and bodywork, resulting in the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race cars ever built. Drivers can reach a top speed of 200 mph thanks to an electric motor that delivers 350 kilowatts.
The new Lucid drive unit is positioned in the front of every race car and provides regenerative energy recovery from the front wheels under braking, significantly enhancing performance. Comprising motor, inverter, differential and transmission all combined, the device produces 469 hp, despite a weight of only 71 pounds.
The new drive is capable of a max rotor speed of 19,500 rpm. It features the same state-of-the-art, high-voltage continuous wave winding and proprietary microjet cooling system that is used in the motors powering the Lucid Air sedan.
“With incredible power density of 14.7 hp/kg and immense energy recuperation, this drive unit will once again transform electric motorsports, following in the footsteps of our revolutionary battery pack in prior race seasons,” says Peter Rawlinson, CEO of Lucid Group. “The transfer of technology between motorsports and road cars is a two-way symbiosis. Some of the technical advancements introduced may [eventually] make their way to future Lucid road cars.”
The next Formula E race will take place on February 11 in Hyderabad, India. Additional events are scheduled for later this year for Berlin, Cape Town, Jakarta, London, Monaco, Rome and Sao Paulo. The only U.S. event will take place in Portland, OR, on June 24.
