Jaguar and Williams F1 Join Forces for Formula E
Big news from the racing world. Jaguar has partnered with Williams F1 in preparation of starting a racing campaign in FIA’s Formula E Championship for the 2016-17 season. Jaguar is back! Formula Electric, or Formula E for short, is the FIA backed single-seater racing series devoted to top open-wheel performing formula cars with the most extreme all-electric power available. This is the fastest electric racing series in the world, and Jaguar’s participation speaks volumes.
Jaguar directly states that their entry into Formula E and the partnership with Williams Racing Team are great development tools for future production products. The British racing Formula 1 powerhouse Williams will support Jaguar with the basic body architecture and electronic powertrain expertise. Jaguar reports that their racing team and production team will work closely with Williams F1 in the development of the racecar and new technologies.
It sounds like Jaguar intends on trickling down a lot of this electronic tech into their production cars. It’s similar to what Porsche is doing with Le Mans and their cars — incorporating cutting edge EV innovations after they are properly tested during racing conditions. That’s how racing used to be, decades ago, when production cars would see the benefits from the racing team’s inventions. Glad to see that has been rekindled in the electronic era. It’s an electronic arms race today, and it’ll be shocking to see the speed even five years from now.
Jaguar has been experimenting with hybrid power in the recent past with their hybrid hypercar the C-X75, which is featured in the latest James Bond film, Spectre. It has a turbocharged and supercharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder producing upwards of 500 BHP mated to two twin electric motors whipping out a hefty 390 BHP, for a total of around 800 BHP.
What sorts of technologies would you like to see in the next generation of Jaguar motor cars? Would you ever drive an all-electric Jaguar?