TECHNICALPARTNERTOTHEFIAFORMULAECHAMPIONSHIP,RENAULTSTEPSINTO THEERAOFELECTRICMOTORSPORT AleaderinelectricvehicleswithitsZ.E.rangeandboastinguniqueexpertiseinmotorsport, RenaultisenteringthenewFIAFormulaEChampionship.Thetenteamsracinginthe competition,whichkicksoffinSeptember2014,willdrivetheSparkRenaultSRT_01E singleseater,codesignedwithRenaultSportandworldrevealedatFrankfurt. Anewerainmotorsport Asatestinggroundfornewtechnology,motorsportwasboundtoembraceelectricpower soonerratherthanlater,whichisalreadyarealityforproductionvehiclesthankstothe investmentsmadebytoptiercarmakers,chiefamongthemRenault.Formula1racingistaking aradicalstepforwardin2014withtherolloutofnewPowerUnitregulationsintroducing downsizedturbopowerplantswithhighperformanceenergyrecoverysystems.Meanwhile,on aninitiativefromtheInternationalAutomobileFederation(FIA),thenewFormulaEcompetitionis exploringadifferentpathwithfullelectric,zeroemissionsingleseaters. ThefirstFormulaEChampionshipwillbeheldfromSeptember2014toJune2015.

The competitionwillbeorganizedintenlegs,eachoneracedinthecenterofamajorcityinEurope (London,Berlin,Rome),Asia(Beijing,Bangkok,Putrajaya)ortheAmericas(LosAngeles,Miami, RiodeJaneiro,BuenosAires).Forthisfirstseason,20pilotssplitupin10teamswillmeetatthe wheelofcarsnamedSparkRenaultSRT_01E. Bringingtogetherthebiggestnamesinmotorsport FormulaEholdings,instigatoroftheFIAFormulaEChampionship,designatedSparkRacing Technologytoconceiveandmanufacturethefirst40singleseatersracing.Thecarsare homologatedaccordingtoregulationsonperformance,safetyandcosts,whichmeansthat othercarmakerswillbeabletogetinvolved.Todevelopthecarsandputthemintoproduction, Sparksetupaconsortiumfeaturingthebiggestnamesinmotorsport: Renault:responsiblefortheelectricdrivetrain,systemintegration,performanceoptimization andthesafetyoftheelectricdrivetrain, McLarenElectronicSystems:development,productionandassemblyofthepowertrainand electroniccontrols, WilliamsAdvancedEngineering:batterydesign, Dallara:monocoquedesignandconstruction, Spark:designofthesingleseater(suspension,aerodynamics,assembly). AsSparkstechnicalpartner,RenaultdrewonalltheskillsoftheengineersatRenaultSport TechnologiesandRenaultSportF1tosuperviseandoptimizetheperformanceandsafetyofthe newcar. SparkRenaultSRT_01E:aconcentrateoftechnology

TheSparkRenaultSRT_01Ecombinesthemostadvancedtechnologiesinelectricdrivetrains andboastsinnovativestyling.Thevehiclesaerodynamicsweredesignedtomakeovertaking easier,whiletherelativelyhighrideheightwasdevelopedforuseontheurbancircuitsinthe FormulaEChampionship.ThecarmeetscurrentFormula1regulations. Likethedriver,thebatteryhasitsownsurvivalcell.Thebatteryweighs200kgandis homologatedaccordingtointernationaltransportstandards.Theelectricmotordelivers200kW, or270hp,totherearwheels.Driverswillbeallowedtousethefullpoweroutputofthevehiclein qualifyingsessions.Duringtheracesthemselves,powerwillbelimitedto133kW,or180hp, withapushtopassmodebringingdriverstemporaryaccessto200kW(270hp),theaim beingtocombinerangewithovertakingopportunities. Thedesignerssucceededinlimitingvehiclemasstointernalcombustioncarlevels,withthe SparkRenaultSRT_01Eweighinginataminimum800kgwiththedriveronboard. Performancesimulationsputthecars0to100km/htimeatthreeseconds,whiletopspeedis limitedto200km/hformaximumsafetyinurbanracing. Wewereenthusiasticaboutthisprojectrightfromthestartbecauseitgaveusachanceto explorenewpaths.Noonehadeverdesignedanelectricsingleseaterwiththiskindof performance,manufacturedinshortproductionrunsanddevelopedaccordingtoatight deadline.Wefactoredinanumberofconstraints,includingmass,safetyandthermics. Harnessingthecomplementaryskillsoftheconsortiummembers,theSparkRenaultSRT_01E isanexcellentsynthesisofcurrentknowledge.Wearesurethatitwillprovetobeastandout singleseaterinmotorsporthistory. FranoisChampod,motorsporttechnicaldirectoratRenaultSportTechnologiesandFormulaE coordinatoratRenault Whileanumberofcarmakersarejuststartingoutontheelectricvehicleadventure,Renault alreadyhasacompleterangeofelectriccarsandissettouptheantewiththeFormulaE Championship.