The 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship sees an entirely new generation of all-electric single-seater racing cars, dubbed ‘Gen3’. This third generation of racing cars for the series, which has completed 8 seasons, will be the fastest and most advanced ever, designed and optimised specifically for street racing.
Among the entrants is the Jaguar TCS Racing team which will enter its new Jaguar I-TYPE 6, the most advanced and most efficient electrically-powered Jaguar racing car ever. Lighter, more powerful and faster than the Gen2 racing car used by the team in earlier seasons, the I-TYPE 6 will set new performance benchmarks for an all-electric racing car with a top speed of 322 km/h.
The futuristic racing car has the form of the front end of a fighter jet, and its bodywork has been refined to achieve the best aerodynamic efficiency and required downforce in racing. This will also be the first-ever formula car with both front and rear powertrains. A new front powertrain adds 250 kW to the 350 kW at the rear, more than doubling the regenerative capability of the current Gen2 to a total of 600 kW.
There is ultra-high speed charging capability of 600 kW for additional energy during a race, almost double the power of the most advanced commercial chargers in the world. There will be no rear hydraulic brakes with the addition of the front powertrain and its powerful regenerative capability.
Yet the I-TYPE 6 will also be the most efficient formula racing car ever: more than 40% of the energy used within a race will be produced by regenerative braking. The powerful electric motors will have around 95% power efficiency as they generate up to peak output, compared to approximately 40% for an internal combustion engine.
For the unique asymmetric livery, Jaguar’s Creative team was asked to come up with a distinctive new identity reflective of the Gen3 era. The compelling colour palette features carbon black, satin white and sophisticated gold accents, with the asymmetric design of the livery creating two unique cars for drivers Mitch Evans and Sam Bird.
Both drivers did their pre-season testing in Spain recently and after 8 sessions, the team gathered a wealth of learnings to further understand the racing cars and optimise their set-up. Over the 5 days of tests, the drivers covered more than 1,500 kms.
“The Gen3 car represents a big step forward in technology and electrification. Testing is always a vital process and we have a lot of learning and information from the sessions. With the all-new racing car, it’s been more important than ever to understand the car and address any issues. Importantly though, we’ve seen some promising car performance and efficiency and will continue to focus on our preparations for the first race in Mexico City in January,” said James Barclay, Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal.
