Two championship wins, 45 races resulting in 35 podium finishes, and 94 percent of all possible race laps completed: for four years now, Audi, ABT, and Schaeffler have formed one of the most successful partnerships in Formula E. New technology – ranging from the complete vehicle through the engine to a radically modified battery system – together with new teams, drivers, and locations usher in a new era for Formula E, an era in which Schaeffler intends to continue its successful track record. The fifth season, which begins next weekend, will involve 13 races across five continents.
“For Schaeffler, Formula E has been the perfect platform to demonstrate our expertise in pioneering technologies and to showcase our ideas for the sustainable mobility for tomorrow,” says Prof. Peter Gutzmer, Chief Technology Officer and deputy CEO, who initiated the Formula E project five years ago. “The series has become the hottest event in motorsport. It thrills fans and the media alike and, with numerous manufacturers and companies involved, it offers a world-class competitive environment.”
In the fourth season of the all-electric racing series, which culminated in Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler taking first place in the team standings in New York in mid-July, the Audi e-tron FE04 regularly emerged as the most efficient car. Its successor marks the continued evolution of this successful model, particularly with regard to the centerpiece of the Audi e-tron FE05: the powertrain, which comprises the motor, inverter, transmission, parts of the rear axle, and related software. Audi and its technological partner, Schaeffler, worked together to develop the motor generator unit, the Audi Schaeffler MGU03. The engineers aimed to enhance the efficiency and performance of the entire package. And they were successful: 95 percent of the powertrain’s components are new, and the engineers managed to reduce its weight by 10 percent.
