Integral Powertrain (IP) and the NIO 333 Formula E Team have entered a long-term electrified powertrain technical partnership to provide support throughout the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The partnership was announced by IP’s e-drive division and follows on from the company’s work in developing the NIO 333 Formula E Team’s electric powertrain for the upcoming seventh and eighth season campaigns within Formula E. The technical partnership will see IP carrying out engineering work and supplying bespoke, high-performance electric motors and inverters.
Instead of concentrating on power-to-weight this time round, the new electric powertrain is built with efficiency in mind and features adapted motor and inverter technology to make full use of weight allocated by the team. The setup is said to have produced some excellent results.
The 200kW motor can achieve 98.6% efficiency; the inverter, which uses silicon carbide technology, operates at 99.5% efficiency. Both partners agree that the powertrain and gearbox optimization is the culmination of strong technical collaboration.
“Formula E is all about efficiency. It is therefore the ideal platform for us to showcase our high-efficiency motor and inverter technology. As a result of its extreme requirements, our involvement in Formula E allows us to push the boundaries of electrification technology, which in turn benefits our other programs in automotive, aerospace and marine applications,” said Arnaud Martin, head of motorsport and inverter systems at Integral Powertrain.
“The partnership with NIO 333 is the logical continuation of a very strong collaborative approach to powertrain optimization that has already demonstrated its benefits after the first race weekend. Throughout the year we will work to deliver further incremental improvement, which should benefit the team’s on-track performance. We wish NIO 333 the best for season seven and season eight,” Martin concluded.
Duncan Laycock, chief technical officer of the NIO 333 Formula E Team, commented, “333 Racing welcomes Integral Powertrain as a technical partner. At the forefront of electric powertrain technologies, the IP team worked with our engineers to provide a tailored e-drive solution. The efficiency gains from MGU, MCU combined with our latest transmission mark a significant step for 333 Racing’s season seven powertrains. Last season was about consolidation and putting the correct technical partners in place. The Diriyah E-Prix saw the first competitive outing for the powertrain rewarded with both cars in super pole and double points finish. Given the ultra-competitive nature of this championship, fractions of a percent make the difference. IP’s continued contribution, and their first-principles, no-nonsense approach, make the collaboration a pleasure.”
