Spark Unveils Next-Gen Formula E Concept Cars, Featuring Larger Battery Pack, Reduced Weight, & More

Feb 15, 2017 06:00 AM EST | Andrew Davis

Spark recently unveiled the concept images of the next-gen Formula E race cars, ensuring that the all-electric series vehicles remain in the spotlight, not some mere novel experiment. The company promises weight reduction, battery efficiency, and of course enhanced aerodynamics. Let's take a look at the future of racing.

Formula E is already gaining traction since its inception in 2012. Looking into the future, the race organizers plan to make waves this season by making some high-profile moves. 

Called the SRT05e, Spark's next-gen Formula E concept car is an aggressively packaged car and has an extended windscreen, which resembles the one tested last season by Red Bull. MotorSport reports that the extended windscreen could be among the safety features added to the design. This is one of the challenges faced by Spark engineers in efforts to safeguard the driver's head of open-topped race cars.

Further, the next-gen Formula E concept car features a sleeker design compared to the current one but with fully enclosed wheels. This time, engineers had to deal with the anticipated 10% increase in weight of a larger battery pack.

The new all-electric race cars will be packing a larger battery with a capacity of 54 kWh, compared with the current-gen cars' 28kWh. One of the common complaints received by the organizers during the race is the need to swap cars in the middle of the race. Thus, Sony, McLaren, and Atieva are now all hands on deck and crucially working on a more powerful and efficient battery pack that could stretch and last until the end of the race, eradicating the need to swap cars, reports The Verge.

FIA, the governing body behind Formula E, Formula One, and the World Endurance Championship, will be directly involved in the creation and development of Spark's next-gen Formula E race cars. Spark, in turn, will work together with Dallara for the design of the new chassis.

Spark's next-gen Formula E race cars are expected to launch before the 2016-2017 season commences. These new impressive vehicles will join the competition during the 5th season of Formula E, which is slated to kick off in 2018. Stay tuned for more updates on the latest in the world of all-electric racing. 

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