Home cars Jaguar to stay in Formula E after reinvention as premium EV brand

Jaguar to stay in Formula E after reinvention as premium EV brand

55
0


Jaguar will race in Formula E until 2030

British brand will race until 2030, having committed to the electric single-seater championship’s Gen4 rules

Jaguar will remain in the Formula E World Championship until the end of 2030, saying that it will continue to accelerate its development of its new generation of electric road cars.

The British brand has raced in the electric single-seater series since the 2016-17 season and will contests its 100th ePrix in Monaco this weekend.

Jaguar has taken 13 victories in Formula E and is currently leading the manufacturers’ championship for the 2023-24 season.

It has now committed to Formula E’s forthcoming Gen4 rules, which will begin in the 2026-27 season and run until 2029-30. It will continue as both a powertrain manufacturer and with its Jaguar TCS Racing factory team. 

Jaguar will be reinvented as a premium electric-only brand in the coming years, with the first of a planned initial line-up (which, as exclusively revealed by Autocar, will be led by a large limousine) of three models set to arrive in 2025.

Remaining in Formula E until the end of 2030 will therefore give Jaguar a showcase to highlight the strength of its EV technology and showcase its reinvented brand image.

Jaguar motorsport boss James Barclay said the Formula E team will “continue to drive the rapid development of EV technology on the track”.

He noted that the commitment was proof of the JLR board’s “confidence in the value of competition” and aligned with the firm’s wider Reimagine business strategy.

Jaguar has long insisted that motorsport is a useful proving ground to develop new technology for electric powertrains. That includes work with Wolfspeed on silicon-carbide for use in semiconductors and with Castrol to re-refine used transmission fluid for competition use.

The brand said both of those technologies will be used by its next-generation EVs.

While technical details are still being finalised, Formula E bosses have said the future Gen4 cars will have 804bhp and up to 939bhp of regenerative braking, up from 469bhp and 804bhp for the current Gen3 cars.

The chassis will again be developed by France’s Spark Racing Technologies, while Italy’s Podium Advanced Technologies will replace WAE as the supplier of the batteries. Marelli will continue to produce the front motors, which are largely used for regen. Manufacturers are free to develop their own rear motors.

Jaguar is the second manufacturer to commit to Formula E’s Gen4 era, following Nissan.

Previous articleFord promises more affordable EVs as it loses money on them
Next articleNew Volkswagen Passat Estate 2024 review: an ideal SUV-antidote