Munich. BMW is bringing electromobility up to race speed:
Initially revealed as a goal in 2016 as part of the realignment of
the motorsport strategy within the BMW Group, BMW will join the FIA
Formula E Championship as an official manufacturer in Season 5
(2018/19). The cars, equipped with a completely newly-developed BMW
drivetrain, will be run by the Andretti Formula E team as BMW’s
works entry in the series. Together, BMW and Andretti will compete
in exciting races at the heart of some of the biggest cities around
the world. The main driving force behind the new BMW i Motorsport is
the development of innovative technology in the field of
electromobility, in which the company has established a leading role
over the past ten years. The consistent implementation of the new
motor racing strategy also includes the expansion of classic
activities at BMW M Motorsport.
The Formula E project is already providing valuable impetus in the
development of BMW iNEXT and the next generation of advanced BMW i
models with electric drive. The same engineers that are working on the
future of electromobility for the streets also take on an environment
that is fully focused on performance alongside their colleagues from
BMW Motorsport – an environment, in which they face strong opposition.
The experience gained is integrated directly in production development
again, in the development of the next BMW i models.
For BMW,
this makes Formula E the perfect development laboratory for
production-related electric powertrain technology. “Through our
involvement in Formula E, we are addressing the development towards
sustainable and emission-free mobility in the automobile industry and
are also making a contribution to the brand’s progression to BMW
iNEXT,” said Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management of
BMW AG, Development. “This project is thoroughly driven by
technology. We are using Formula E as a development laboratory,
operating under the unique conditions that prevail in motor racing –
with very unique demands and opportunities. The borders between
production and motor racing development are more blurred at BMW i
Motorsport than in any other project. The result is a technology
transfer on a whole new level. We are certainly confident that the
BMW Group will benefit greatly from the experience gained in the
field of electrotechnology during this project.”
BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt said: “Formula E has developed
fantastically as a racing series and, as a new, technology-based
project, is perfectly suited to the BMW Group and BMW Motorsport.
Forging new paths and driving innovation – these are values shared by
BMW and Formula E. Because it is very important for us to demonstrate
our technological expertise, we have shown a firm commitment to this
project through the registration of BMW AG as an official manufacturer
and are facing up to the growing competition there. The changes we
required for our involvement will come into effect in Season 5 – these
include, for example, the omission of the car changeover. We are
already seeing in our development work that colleagues from the
production and motorsport departments are collaborating in a
completely new way. The result is new paths, which we are forging
together in the matter of electric drivetrains. In Formula E, we will
demonstrate both our innovative expertise and our sporting spirit. The
series represents a completely new challenge for us – a challenge we
are happy to take on together with Andretti Formula E. Andretti is the
ideal partner for this mission. The name needs no introduction in
international motor racing. Our cooperation is already working very
well, and we look forward to taking the next steps together.”
“Formula E and BMW i are simply very well suited to each other,” said
Hildegard Wortmann, Senior Vice President Brand BMW. “It is a totally
new kind of motorsport, which we will be taking racing to the fans –
not the other way round. Formula E is already demonstrating how
exciting, thrilling and fascinating electromobility can be. This sort
of emotionalisation is only possible through sport. We have been
involved in Formula E from the outset as ‘Official Vehicle Partner’,
and have helped shape the series. We are now taking on a new aspect,
in the form of actual racing. BMW i and Formula E – two pioneers of a
new era.”
“We are excited to expand our partnership with BMW i and serve as
BMW’s official Formula E works team beginning in Season 5,” said
Michael Andretti, CEO of Andretti Autosport and its global family of
race teams. “The ongoing collaboration between BMW and Andretti
Formula E has provided a strong foundation for BMW’s entry as an
official manufacturer. We look forward to running BMW’s first
all-electric racing drivetrain and competing for the Formula E
Championship. BMW is leading the automotive future with the BMW i line
and their innovation in electric car technology. I couldn’t pick a
more prestigious or historic manufacturer to work with in Formula E.”