Technology & Sustainability

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is a testbed for innovative electrification and digital technologies which can be transferred from the racetrack to real-world situations to improve productivity, efficiency and reliability and ultimately help industries outrun. In our eighth season as title partner – and third as Official Charging Partner – we are continuing to implement leading technologies within the series. These technologies position ABB at the forefront of sustainable technology development within the series and beyond.

Learn more about ABB technology in the series

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Official Charging Partner

Since Season 9, ABB has been the Official Charging Partner of the series.

 

Working in collaboration with engineers from motorsport governing body, the FIA, and Formula E, ABB has developed a compact, reliable and safe solution for charging the new Gen3 Evo cars which is ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The ABB Formula E Race Charger has been designed in a robust, custom and ergonomic way that allows for easy global transportation and installation.

 

Each charger can deliver a maximum power of 160kW and is able to charge two vehicles with 80kW of power simultaneously, before the race. This allows race teams to benefit from a double charging capacity from one unit, significantly reducing the charger footprint and decreasing transportation emissions, as there is no longer a need for one unit per car.

 

The ABB Formula E Race Charger features ABB’s newest charging technology and draws on the company’s leading position in the sector. Its design adapts technology already proven in road car charging applications to suit a demanding motorsport environment. It offers the greatest reliability and consistency of performance, wherever in the world the chargers are used, from various power sources.

ABB Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

Our UPS system is installed in the race series’ TV compound. It guarantees that power continues to reach broadcasters in the event of a grid power failure at a race circuit, ensuring that live race broadcasts never go ‘off air’. This UPS is a highly efficient bespoke unit developed by a specialist team at ABB.

 

Wheel-mounted and weight-optimized, it has been made in a package small and robust enough to be shipped easily and more sustainably. It has plug-and-play functionality to simplify installation for the on-site team and can provide 15 minutes of autonomous 60kVA power with input/output voltages of 230/400VAC 50 Hz.

BrightLoop DC-DC converter

Highlighted by the efficiency and productivity of the GENBETA prototype car, our DC-DC converter from the BrightLoop product line-up allows the main battery to simultaneously run a car’s onboard electronics at different voltages. This technology highlights how Formula E operates as a test bed for innovative technology that has real-world applications. Other highlights of the technology include:

  • Advanced Energy Systems: ABB’s latest technology allows the GENBETA’s high-voltage 800Vdc battery to enable 0-100km/h performance in just 1.86 seconds.
  • System Optimization: Simultaneously, the converter powers 12 or 24Vdc systems, including control electronics, communications, and displays.
  • Performance Differentiation: The development of these power electronics underlines their increasing role as a key differentiator in energy management and system optimization across various vehicle architectures.

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