Panasonic Jaguar Racing geared up for final rounds of the 17/18 ABB FIA Formula E Championship season taking place in Brooklyn, New York this July, by making a visit to the Big Apple this week.
Team Director James Barclay visited the city to host a lunch for 60 members of the International Motor Press Association (IMPA); sharing the latest on the team’s performance this season and how learnings from the race series help Jaguar develop road car technology for an electrified future.
When the Jaguar I-PACE goes on sale later this year, the brand will be the first to have both a Formula E race team and a road going production EV available to consumers.
Throughout its development the Jaguar I-PACE has benefitted from learnings born from the Formula E race team. The technology exchange between the Panasonic Jaguar Racing and Jaguar Land Rover engineers helped accelerate the development of the I-PACE and of future electric Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, particularly in the areas of powertrain performance and efficiency; software and controls; battery management – both efficiency, thermal management and regeneration; transmission design and durability; and development of lightweight materials.
Unique to each vehicle, both the Jaguar I-PACE and the I-TYPE 2 Formula E race car use shared technologies for their bespoke parts; similarities include the use of high-efficiency permanent magnet electric motors and pouch battery cell technology for maximum powertrain performance.
“We are developing the next generation of EV technology on the race track. This is why we race,” said James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director. “Formula E racing provides an ideal performance test bed for EV technology in a punishing, high-performance environment. It is incredibly exciting for the team to be a part of this revolutionary engineering exchange. We’re looking forward to finishing off our second season in New York City next month, a year which has seen us go from strength to strength.”
The ABB FIA Formula E Championship is the world’s first fully-electric racing series. The final rounds of the 17/18 season will take place July 14-15, 2018 on a unique purpose-built 1.21 mile street course in Red Hook, Brooklyn around Pier 11 and the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal with the iconic New York City backdrop.
Panasonic Jaguar Racing will go into the New York race in fifth place, with drivers Mitch Evans and Nelson Piquet Jr. behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 2 race car looking to finish the year on a high.