Mexico City. New partnership, new car design: ahead of the
Mexico City E-Prix (MEX), BMW i made two important public
announcements. Firstly, BMW i has extended the contract as ‘ABB FIA
Formula E Official Vehicle Partner’ and will continue to equip
Formula E with an extensive fleet of BMW i safety vehicles through
Season 6 and beyond. Secondly, the BMW i8 Safety Car will appear in
a spectacular new design from the fourth race of the season onwards.
The announcement about the partnership extension took place during an
evening event held by BMW i and Founding Main Partner Julius Bär in
Mexico City, where the car was also revealed. Guests included Dr.
Andreas Aumann, Vice President BMW i Product, eMobility, Pia Schörner,
Head of BMW Motorsport Marketing, Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive
Officer of Formula E, and the internationally renowned influencer
Brooklyn Beckham, who got the chance to take some exclusive photos
with the new Safety Car ahead of the race.
“BMW i has played a pivotal role in the success of Formula E since
the start of the championship,” said Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive
Officer of Formula E. “Not only as a founding partner, but also as a
strong competitor and manufacturer currently leading the team
standings. I am extremely pleased to continue our collaboration
together as official vehicle partner long into the future. It shows
BMW’s commitment as a leader in electric mobility.”
In addition to being ‘Official Vehicle Partner’, BMW i also provides
the car fleet for the popular ‘BMW i VIP Laps’, the taxi rides on the
racetrack that take place during Formula E events around the world.
BMW i is also ‘Official Partner’ and ‘Founding Partner’ of the ABB FIA
Formula E Championship.
“As a pioneer in the field of electromobility, and a founding member
of Formula E, we are proud to extend our long collaboration and to
support the series as ‘Official Vehicle Partner’ with our extensive
fleet of support cars in Season 6 and beyond,” said Jens Thiemer,
Senior Vice President Customer Brand BMW. “One highlight is
obviously our BMW i8 Roadster Safety Car, which we presented in Mexico
with a spectacular new design. It is the first and only Roadster to be
used as a safety car. Right from the word go, BMW i has played an
active role in shaping the rapid development of Formula E for
automobile manufacturers, companies and fans all over the world. From
the very first minute, we have believed in the concept and used the
inspiring environment to test our pioneering BMW i technology and
innovations under competitive conditions in the technology lab that is
Formula E, and to present them to the public.”
Safety Car design aligned with the colours of the light bar.
The BMW i8 Safety Car, which BMW i is making available as a Coupé and
as a Roadster, also boasts a future-oriented and innovative new
design. As was the case for the BMW iFE.20, the Safety Car has been
designed by Michael Scully, Head of Design BMW Group Motorsport. It
carries forward some elements of its predecessor. These include the
blue and white corners, crossing over in the style of the BMW logo.
Emphasis is also placed on the view from above, which plays a
particularly important role due to the elevated seating location for
many spectators at the Formula E races. Then there is the asymmetrical
layout that provides maximum visibility at high speed. As with the
race car, the non-reflective, matt black cockpit element that has been
extended to cover the entire area around the driver represents the
most striking change. This pushes the driver to the fore, underlining
the core importance of this role. “We integrated the colours of the
light bar into the design specially for the Safety Car. This makes the
striking colour scheme for the car extremely authentic,” says Scully.
BMW i has long enjoyed a close connection with Formula E, appearing
as ‘Official Vehicle Partner’ since Season 1. BMW i Andretti
Motorsport has also been racing competitively since Season 5. After
two wins in three races from Alexander Sims (GBR) and Maximilian
Günther (GER), the team is currently heading the team standings. In
addition to celebrating sporting successes, the BMW iFE.20 race car is
used primarily as a technological laboratory for further development
of drivetrain concepts for BMW i production cars. The Formula E
project has seen the most intensive technology transfer between
motorsport and series production in the history of BMW.
The BMW i Safety Cars.
BMW i is “Official Vehicle Partner” of the ABB FIA Formula E
Championship in Season 6. Spearheading the fleet are two Safety Cars:
The BMW i8 Roadster Safety Car (combined fuel consumption: 2.0 l/100
km; combined power consumption: 14.5 kWh/100 km; combined CO2
emissions: 46 g/km)*, which has been specially modified for use at the
racetrack, and the BMW i8 Coupé Safety Car (combined fuel consumption:
1.8 l/100 km; combined power consumption: 14.0 kWh/100 km; combined
CO2 emissions: 42 g/km)*. The BMW i fleet also includes the BMW i3s
(combined fuel consumption: 0.0 l/100 km; combined energy consumption:
14.6-14.0 kWh; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km)* as “Race Director
Car”, the BMW 530e (combined fuel consumption: 1.8-1.6 l/100 km;
combined energy consumption: 14.5-13.8 kWh/100 km; combined CO2
emissions: 40-36 g/km)* in its role as “Medical Car” and the BMW X5
e45 (combined fuel consumption: 2.0-1.7 l/100 km; combined energy
consumption: 23.5-21.3 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 46-38
g/km)* as “Rescue Car”.