Nissan is the one mass-market OEM in Formulation E. It’s additionally the one Japanese automaker within the sequence, and is dedicated to it by way of 2030.
It’s a part of the corporate’s Ambition 2030. Nissan says its “mission is to realize carbon neutrality and zero-emission automobiles by 2050, and to make electrical automobiles accessible to everybody, all over the place.” Particularly, “by fiscal 12 months 2030 aiming for an electrification mixture of 55% globally.”
There actually isn’t one other massive mainstream market auto producer that has so carefully aligned its motorsports program with its strategic imaginative and prescient.
Nissan’s Historical past in Formulation E
In 2018, Nissan entered Formulation E as a partnership with a longtime crew. In 2022, it then purchased that crew and has operated as a factory-backed program ever since. With the crew buy, Nissan has dedicated to the race sequence by way of 2030 as a part of its Ambition 2030 program.
Nissan has regularly moved up the grid in Formulation E because the seasons move. As a producer, Nissan was seventh in 2023 and simply completed third in 2024. Nissan NISMO Formulation E Group Principal Tommaso Volpe informed me that the objective is to combat for the general championship in 2025.
As a producer, Nissan has developed its personal drivetrain system. This contains an inverter, motor, trans, regen system, and software program. That is the second 12 months utilizing the identical {hardware} system (mandated by the Formulation E guidelines), however the crew has seen huge positive factors from its software program growth.
This technique is used not solely within the Nissan NISMO Formulation E crew but additionally within the NEOM McLaren Formulation E crew. This enables for knowledge assortment from 4 automobiles on the grid, two per crew, one thing that’s frequent throughout Formulation E.
Causes Nissan Is in Formulation E
I sat down with Nissan NISMO Formulation E Group Principal Tommaso Volpe on the 2024 U.S. race in Portland, Ore. He defined to me that Nissan is in Formulation E for 3 very particular causes:
- To change into consultants in electrification
- To indicate that electrical automobiles are thrilling
- Data switch for future street automobiles, to make them each thrilling and environment friendly
The primary two factors are straightforward to grasp and see with Nissan’s involvement on this race sequence. The third is tougher to see, a minimum of for now.
Formulation E Tech in Your Nissan
Within the early days of Nissan’s involvement in Formulation E, a full 7 years in the past, there was a number of information switch to the race program from its expertise in electrified street automobiles. Volpe defined that road-to-track was the way it began, and only recently, we’re beginning to see track-to-road information switch.
However, no switch of {hardware} from Nissan’s Formulation E race program has but made it to a manufacturing street automobile. Whereas Volpe is aware of it will doubtless change within the subsequent few years, for now it’s simply software program that has made it from racecar to street automobile. This isn’t all that stunning, as new manufacturing automobile growth cycles take a few years, whereas software program could be up to date frequently with over-the-air updates on most trendy automobiles.
Fascinating Details About Formulation E
Whereas I had a good time at Formulation E’s solely U.S. cease in 2024 in Portland, Ore., I additionally discovered a bunch of attention-grabbing tidbits concerning the race sequence. There’s a lot occurring on this electrified racing, and it’s a must to dive fairly deep to actually get your head wrapped round a lot of it.
Listed here are a number of the enjoyable details that I found:
- A rear 350 kW motor can ship as much as 470 horsepower to the rear wheels.
- A entrance 250 kW motor is only for regen (doesn’t drive the automobile).
- In 2025 AWD can be used, however solely at sure occasions.
- 2024 Formulation E race automobiles have a 41 kWh battery. As compared, the Nissan Ariya has both a 67 kwH or an 87 kWh battery.
- 2024 Formulation E automobiles begin every race with solely about 60% of the ability wanted to finish a race, and don’t pit. The opposite 40% of power wanted to achieve the end line is created by way of the regen system.
- In assault mode, 2024 Formulation E automobiles can attain 60 mph from a standstill in simply 1.6 seconds.
- 2024 Formulation E automobiles weigh simply 840 kg (1,852 kilos).
- There is just one spec tire utilized in Formulation E, by Hankook. The tire is utilized in all situations, together with rain.
- Every automobile can solely use two units of tires on a single race weekend. Three units are allowed for double-header weekends.
- No tire heaters are utilized in Formulation E.
- Formulation E automobiles don’t have any traction management.
(An enormous because of Nissan for internet hosting me at this 12 months’s U.S. E-Prix. I very a lot look ahead to following alongside as Formulation E develops, and we begin to see electrical racing tech make its manner into electrified street automobiles.)
