Mercedes wants to withdraw from the racing for electric cars known as Formula E and is concentrating fully on Formula 1. The company is realigning its resources for the development of electric vehicles, according to Stuttgart. The upcoming eighth season of Formula E, which should end in August 2022, will be the last in which Mercedes will be a part.
The background to this is the announcement by Mercedes-Benz at the end of July that it intends to go fully electric before the end of this decade, “wherever market conditions permit”. as it says in a Mercedes announcement. The resources are being redistributed so that electrification can ramp up faster. This also includes the development of three new electrical architectures, which are to be introduced in 2025.
The company wants to concentrate its factory involvement in racing on Formula 1 and thus confirm “the status of Formula 1 as the fastest development laboratory and as a test bench for sustainable and scalable future performance technologies”. Mercedes spokesman Bradley Lord explained to heise online that internal combustion engines are still used in Formula 1, but not exclusively.
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“Since the first KERS hybrid was introduced in 2009, the F1 has been an important laboratory for the development of electrical technologies such as electric motors, battery technology and control systems,” explains Lord. “Since 2014, the F1 engine has two electric motors – a larger KERS motor on the rear axle and an electric turbocharger as well as battery and control software.” These technologies have already been transferred to hybrid vehicles by AMG and have provided important findings for the development of electric vehicles.
(Image: Daimler Daimler)
From 2025, Formula 1 will have an even larger proportion of electric drives, up to 50 percent of the total output, Lord said. A 100 percent synthetic fuel will also be introduced there, which will be relevant in the future.
Formula E has been around since 2014, Mercedes has been with HWA Racelab for the fifth season and in the following season, with Stoffel Vandoorne, scored his team’s first victory in Formula E. Last week, Mercedes won the drivers ‘and teams’ championships at what is now ABB FIA Formula E racing series.
(anw)
