Supercars go green: All-electric GT Series announced

Electric racing

The FIA has announced the very first all-electric GT series, with performance similar to the current to GT3 cars

leccy lead

The FIA will hope to attract manufacturers on the basis of 'road-relevant' electric GT cars

FIA

After Formula E, Extreme E, an electric DTM category and the same in WRX, comes the latest battery-powered series to be unveiled: an electric GT championship.

Announced today by the FIA, the new championship is looking to fill a grid with 185mph electric sports cars that will accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.4 seconds and feature fast charging for mid-race replenishment.

As manufacturers work to develop electric supercars, the series aims to offer a technology test-bed to develop the motors, batteries and software for their road-going machines.

FIA President Jean Todt describing it as “A perfect illustration of our race-to-road approach”.

WEC GT stalwart Ferrari announced last week it planned to produce an electric hypercar by 2025, and BMW has been evaluating its motorsport options after withdrawing from Formula E for next year. Other firms investing in high-performance electric cars include Ford, Porsche and Jaguar.

The cars will have similar performance to GT3 cars, yet with improved acceleration and qualifying speed.

Some elements of the rules are similar to the new World Endurance Championship Le Mans Hypercar and LMDh categories, which allow creative licence with both the technical and aesthetic qualities of the cars, while restricting some areas under the skin to prevent costs from escalating.

Related article

Manufacturers will be permitted to build their own batteries for the electric vehicles, but these will have to be based on a layout designed by the Saft firm.

The batteries will be designed to have 700kW peak regen and 700kW fast recharging, enabling them to replenish to 60% capacity in a few minutes during a mid-race pit stop.

The 87kWh battery will be able to provide maximum power of 430kW for just over 12 minutes but this doesn’t take into account the in-race recharging from regenerative braking, or the variable power requirements over a lap.

Manufacturers can design their own powertrains, deciding whether to power two or four wheels with either two or four electric motors. The layout allows torque to be adjusted for each driven wheel, to improve cornering performance

The minimum weight of the cars will vary from 1490 to 1530kg depending on which road model base car the manufacturer decides to enter. The FIA plans to limit the use of expensive materials by allowing the weight threshold to be higher than it currently is for GT3 class.

The championship is intended to be run on permanent racing circuits, the governing body hoping an electric endurance discipline will showcase new standards in range and performance for such vehicles in motorsport. A promoter has yet to be appointed.

FIA Technical Director Xavier Mestelan Pinon stressed the need to make strides in the road-relevance of electric racing, whilst also making the transfer from GT3 racing affordable and relatively straightforward.

“The role of electric propulsion in automotive industry is ever-increasing, as we want motor sport to be relevant to our industry, more and more competitions are going in this direction,” he said.

“The main technical challenges are battery development, battery integration in the cars and fast charging technology. This is crucial to the manufacturers who want to develop road-relevant technology rather than relying on standard components. Also, being able to utilise and adapt GT3 platform ensures that costs are under control.”

“The FIA’s vision is to make motor sport a laboratory for sustainable mobility,” said FIA President Jean Todt. “The announcement of this new electric-powered GT car category is a key milestone serving this goal as it will pave the way for new battery and fast-charging technologies. A perfect illustration of our race-to-road approach.”