Formula E Racecar Spark-Renault SRT_01E

The new Formula E’s fully-electric race car- Spark-Renault SRT_01E has now completed a successful test debut at the La Ferté Gaucher circuit near Choisy-le-Roi, France. The car was launched in September during the Frankfurt Motor Show and is ready for the Formula E Championship.

Lucas di Grassi was commissioned to undertake the test which went on for two days, the racecar managed to do 40 laps running on a 50kw battery which is a quarter of the maximum 200kw power (270bhp equivalent) the final car will produce. The The SRT_01E has been designed and built by French based Spark Racing Technology. The chassis has been constructed by Dallara, with McLaren Electronics Systems providing the electric motor, gearbox and electronics, Williams Advanced Engineering the batteries, Renault the overall systems integration and Michelin the tyres.

A total of 42 Spark-Renault SRT_01E’s will be produced because in Formula E, instead of having pit stops to refuel (or in this case recharge), driver’s will simply hop into their second Spark-Renault SRT_01E and get back on track. It’s hoped that the Spark-Renault SRT_01E will only serve as the sole entrant for the 2014 season with teams then encouraged to invest in their own cars for future seasons.

Formula E Racecar Spark-Renault SRT_01E

Lucas di Grassi said;

It is a great feeling to be driving the Formula E car for the first time, I can assure all the drivers will have a lot of fun with this car – even with just a quarter of the power it has quite a lot of grip and the electric motor produces huge torque.

Frédéric Vasseur, President of Spark Racing Technology, said:

Everything went very well and it was a very positive maiden run for the Spark-Renault SRT_01E. The car ran for around 40 laps with no issues straight out of the box, which looks good for the overall reliability. We were also running with a much smaller battery than we will use – just 25% of the full power – which again gives us confidence going forward. The next test is planned for the coming weeks where we want to increase the mileage on the car, working our way up to a full race simulation.

Formula E Racecar Spark-Renault SRT_01E

See the Spark-Renault SRT_01E on track here

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqIsFbdLJ7k[/youtube]

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