DS Automobiles, which has been actively involved in the FIA Formula E Championship through its motorsport division DS Performance in association with DS Virgin Racing since 2015/2016, is about to take its commitment to the series with an important step forward.
The all-electric single-seater racing series, which visits four continents and major cities including Hong Kong to Montréal, Marrakech, Buenos Aires, Paris, Berlin and New York, fits perfectly with DS Automobiles’ avant-garde approach to mobility. Indeed, the competition’s proximity to the public and the scope for innovation it offers has convinced the French brand to take its involvement to an exciting new level.
Last autumn, to mark its second season in the discipline (2016/2017), DS Performance introduced the DSV-02, the electric motor, gearbox and ancillaries – along with their integration at the rear of the chassis – were developed and engineered at the brand’s motorsport headquarters in Versailles, near Paris, in France. DS Virgin Racing has also benefited greatly from the driving simulator developed by DS Performance.
From the FIA Formula E Championship’s fifth season (2018/2019), and for a period of at least three years, DS Automobiles will build its own single-seater cars. From Season 5, drivers will be able to complete the full race distance with just one chassis and teams wishing to compete in the series will need to form an association with an official FIA-approved manufacturer, whose ranks now include DS Automobiles.
This initiative will contribute to the development of DS Automobiles’ range of electric road cars, with the DS 7 CROSSBACK – which was unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show – and other models all poised to benefit from the experience acquired by DS Performance in the FIA Formula E Championship.
Yves Bonnefont, DS Brand CEO, said: “Motorsport serves as a tremendous research and development laboratory and I am convinced that the Formula E is the motor sport of the 21st century. We are proud to have been selected by the FIA [Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile] as official manufacturer. DS Automobiles and its motorsport division DS Performance have succeeded in forming a technological bridge that will enable our customers to drive high performance electric and hybrid models. After DS 5 Hybrid 4WD, the DS 7 CROSSBACK will have a plug-in hybrid/petrol powertrain model, named E-Tense. In the future, each of our models will have an electric or hybrid version.”
Xavier Mestelan Pinon, DS Performance Director, said: “DS Automobiles is a young brand and DS Performance was only founded in August 2015. To be one of the championship’s official manufacturers will enable us to become even more responsive, boost our research and development activities and contribute to the electrification of DS Automobiles’ road car range. Our technical staff face the extremely stimulating challenge of having to produce all-electric single-seaters capable of covering entire races. The fifth FIA Formula E Championship is poised to be a revolution and we are proud to be playing a key part in the process.”
For more information on the DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team, please visit www.ds-virginracing.com
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