The Gen3 car is the main cog of the revolution planned for 2023 in Formula E, which wants to ensure its growth as a world class while having to deal with the first unexpected events. Find out all about the new era in the 2022/23 Season Guide
THE Formula E will have a new protagonist from 2023. And it’s not just any driver, on a grid with many changes compared to the previous year, but his new car – which promises to give something to talk about. Eight years after its inaugural season, the category that stands out for carrying the motto of being ecologically sustainable presents its third generation of single-seaters. In this continuation of GUIDE 2022/23 of Formula E, the BIG PRIZE presents the long-awaited gen3.
In fact, the debut of the third generation of Formula E cars should have taken place in 2022. However, the plans for the category were postponed due to the pandemic and moved to 2023, with a longer test period to minimize errors. The point is that the errors have appeared anyway and have ended up in evidence in the pre-season, topics that we will cover throughout this guide.
first to specifications: Gen3 car has 5.016 meters long, 1.7 meter wide and 1.023 meter in height. It is smaller than the Gen2 in all three respects, which directly affects the weight: 840kg including the pilot, something around 60kg lighter than the previous generation.
More importantly, though, it works under the chassis. The Gen3 car is the first in Formula E history to have its power unit split between the front and rear of the vehicle, which gives the car 150kW more power than its predecessor. 350kW The 200kW. The power increase makes the car reach 321 kilometers per hour41km/h above the Gen2.
Nothing compares, however, to the power of energy regeneration expected by Formula E for the new car. In a category where battery control and energy recovery through braking and coastingthe category revolutionized the concept of the car and implemented the so-called regenerative braking.
From 2023, Formula E cars will no longer have hydraulic brakes. The braking of the cars will take place thanks to the front engine, which will have the task of recovering energy by reducing the speed. The category estimates that up to 40% of the battery regenerated by drivers during a race happens this way, which doubles the Gen3’s ability to recover energy — 600kWversus 250kW of the Gen2.
Now at problems. The cars’ new braking style is central to the expected increase in energy regeneration capacity for the Gen3, but it has already had its first setbacks – and they can be very serious.
The Gen3’s front-engine dependent braking simply couldn’t stop the car Sebastián Buemi in Valencia, in the category pre-season held in December, and the rider hit the protective wall hard in one of Friday’s sessions. As a result, the car ended up destroyed and Formula E was forced to analyze the events, as a technical fault was identified shortly before the collision.
To understand what caused the failure, you need to understand the Formula E powertrain configuration. The powerplant is generally made up of three main elements: the batteryThe the engine and the power inverter. The inverter is like a bridge within the system, by converting the current received from the battery into another current, this is high density, which is sent to the engine. During braking, this current is inverted and this makes battery regeneration possible, a technology exclusive to Formula E.
The problem is that Buemi’s car’s inverter simply failed, which caused the car to break down and cause the vehicle to fail to brake. The Swiss slowed down as much as possible but couldn’t brake properly and could have been involved in an even bigger crash. In a calendar full of races on narrow tracks flanked by low walls, the potential for danger is evident and raises questions.
The problems, however, don’t end there. The battery of the cars, produced by Williams, did not show the promised reliability and gave way in the first tests, carried out even before the pre-season in Valencia. Several teams reported car breakdowns and were stopped on the track, losing precious time that could have been used to get to know the new single-seater better.
It all got worse when the teams realized they wouldn’t be able to source new parts in a short period of time, with logistics proving ineffective – as Williams is still working to fix the issues – and has generated irritation. In the pre-season the power has been reduced in some moments in order to reduce the chances of failure. However, it remains far from ideal.
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In external features they were also a problem in the Valencia tests. Considerably lighter than the previous cars and outright quicker, the Gen3s presented a high degree of control difficulty for even the most experienced drivers – who praised their speed, but lamented the constant loss of rear end.
At the Circuit Ricardo Tormo we have seen many mistakes and the adaptation – in an extremely tight period of time for testing – has to be quick, as the calendar features tight circuits practically from start to finish.
his speed even praised by the pilots, it fell short of expectations. Formula E has imagined cars up to 5s faster than their predecessors, but the reality was anything but planned.
The fastest pre-season lap was recorded by Maximilian Guntherfrom maseration the last day of testing: 1min25s127only 0s636 faster than the mark set in the run-up period of last Gen2 season, with Edoardo Mortara — 1min25s763.
Of course, the difference between what was expected and what was witnessed on the track has become a reason for criticism, but the drivers still defend before any judgment a greater adaptation to the new cars – after all, the 2021/22 season reserved fourth place in the Gen2 championship, a generation of cars already fully known by the teams in all its aspects.
Finally, the teams’ lack of patience with the category also exacerbated some problems, as promises were not kept by Formula E and generated immediate dissatisfaction. Early testing marked the first point of wear, with battery problems and the difficulty of obtaining replacements, but it all got worse when the new sporting regulations were announced.
Already annoyed by Formula E’s difficulty in sorting out all the car battery issues, the teams have seen the category approve a rule it has already voted on – and rejected nine to one – earlier: the obligation to field rookies in at least two free practices in the season.
The rule, “copied” by Formula 1, was immediately rejected by the teams, who claimed they had a new generation of cars in hand and highlighted the need to study the new single-seater in more detail.
Furthermore, the possibility of a crash with a rookie at the wheel is naturally higher, which adds to the level of concern in a championship which has already proved difficult to produce spare parts. Some drivers even admit the possibility of losing races if they crash the day before, as there may not be enough time to rebuild the car.
Among many promises and many problems, Formula E is preparing to kick off the inaugural season of the Gen3 cars, which will have the specifications preserved until 2025. Saturday (14)the category officially starts the championship with the mexico city epto be held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
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Source: Terra
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
