Jaguar recently announced that it is returning to racing, with its entry into the FIA Formula E Championship starting in Fall 2016. Formula E is the world's first global single-seater championship for electric-powered cars, and will be in its third season when Jaguar joins the series.
"Electric vehicles will absolutely play a role in Jaguar Land Rover's future product portfolio and Formula E will give us a unique opportunity to further our development of electrification technologies," says Nick Rogers, Group Engineering Director for Jaguar Land Rover.
The Jaguar Formula E team has partnered with Williams Advanced Engineering to develop the two cars it will need to enter into the Formula E series. Williams is noted for its expertise in motorsports and high-performance EV systems. It worked with Jaguar on the development of the Jaguar C-X75 plug-in hybrid concept car introduced in 2010.
The Formula E series originally started out with all 10 participating teams driving the same car called the Spark-Renault SRT. But in season two, and going forward, it changed to an open class to allow each team to field its own car with only the chassis and battery consistent across all cars. This allows each team to focus on improving and developing powertrains and related technology, that could one day be incorporated into everyday electric vehicles.
The next Formula E season begins in October 2016 and ends in July 2017, with 11 races held in 10 cities beginning in Bejing and ending with two rounds in London. Jaguar will be one of 10 race teams, but it has yet to announce who will be driving its requisite two Formula E cars. More details are expected closer to the start of the new season.
Watch the video below for some insight into Jaguar's racing heritage, and some Formula E racing action.
Sources: Jaguar, FIA Formula E