Things are going so good for Jaguar at the moment, they decided to return to “global motorsport,” as they put it. As some of you may recall, they had a not so successful stint in Formula One at the beginning of this century. This time though, they’ve chosen Formula E.
FIA Formula E series for electric single-seater race cars is a much smaller championship than F1 and has a lot less viewers. But many car makers believe it is where motorsport is headed and they are more than willing to invest in it.
It may not be as exciting to watch as other similar series, but Formula E is a great breeding ground for technologies that will eventually make it to production EVs. So Jaguar’s decision to take up the challenge could be an indication as to what’s in store in terms of EVs and hybrids, or as they say it “development of future EV powertrain including motor and battery technology.”
Jaguar Formula E team benefits from expertise and technical help of Williams Advanced Engineering. There isn’t much they can do about the car, as all the contenders have the same basic kit. But they have already come up with a really cool livery for their racing machine.
Nick Rogers, Group Engineering Director for Jaguar Land Rover, said, “I am proud to announce Jaguar’s return to racing with an entry into the innovative FIA FormulaE championship. Electric vehicles will absolutely play a role in Jaguar Land Rover’s future product portfolio and Formula E will give us a unique opportunity to further our development of electrification technologies. The Championship will enable us to engineer and test our advanced technologies under extreme performance conditions.”