A Porsche Taycan 4S electric car is seen during the 19th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai on April 21, 2021.
(Photo : HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)
The 2022 edition of Formula E is set to begin next week, and the championship is introducing a major change for its eighth season. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S will be taking on safety car duties for this year's ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The electric vehicle will replace the BMW i8 Roadster and the Mini Pacesetter.
Porsche's safety car will make its grand debut in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on January 28-29 for the championship's opening round. Porsche's flagship EV will enter the race track sporting a multicolored livery. That theme represents the colors of every team participating on the grid and those of the FIA and the championship. The safety car will be given the number 22, a nod to the number of entrants to the 2022 Formula E championship.
Porsche Taycan to make its safety car debut in Saudi Arabia
Introducing our new Safety Car for Season 8: the @Porsche Taycan! ⚡️
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) January 18, 2022
Vice-president of Porsche Motorsport, Thomas Laudenbach, lauded the move, saying, "We're proud that Formula E has entrusted a Porsche with this task - one that is important for the safety of its drivers." Laudenbach added that with the Taycan Turbo S as the championship's official safety car, they are "making an important contribution to track safety and also underlining the importance of Formula E for Porsche Motorsport."
He pointed out that Porsche and its other rivals out on the track are committed to the successful future of the innovative racing series. They are hopeful they can appeal more to a younger target audience, who are not yet motorsport fans.
The Taycan Turbo S is no ordinary safety car. Porsche's electric vehicle has a 751bhp twin-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain, which propels the vehicle from 0-62 mph in just 2.6 seconds. That burst is astonishing given that the time is 0.2 seconds quicker than the Formula E racers competing.
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Porsche Taycan modified to make it suitable for safety car use
Porsche and the FIA made several modifications to the Taycan Turbo S to make the vehicle suitable for safety car usage. The front and rear bumpers of the Taycan now feature integrated flashing lights which work in tandem with the prominent lightbar found on the vehicle's roof. A roll-cage has replaced the car's rear seats. At the front, racing bucket seats are now found with six-point harnesses to boot.
To further meet the circuit safety requirements of the FIA, the Taycan will now be fitted with a fire extinguisher, a Marelli data logger system, and a high-tech communication system. Wire harnesses have also been installed for the safety car lighting. That will be music to the ears of Bruno Correia, FIA's long-standing Formula E safety car driver.
CEO of Formula E Jamie Reigle is ecstatic with the new agreement, saying, "Formula E is delighted the Porsche Taycan Turbo S will serve as the Championship's safety car from Season 8." He has high praise for this year's safety car, saying that the Porsche Taycan Turbo S is the "pinnacle of high performance electrified vehicles" and that the car will "light up Formula E city racetracks around the world."
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