McLaren Applied Technologies has secured the deal to be Formula E’s battery supplier for the fifth and sixth seasons.
The FIA announced earlier in the year it had opened a tender for the battery supplier for seasons five and six.
The aim is for Formula E batteries to last a full race distance from season five onwards, unlike the current situation where drivers change cars mid-way through an event.
Having gone over the applications, the FIA has now confirmed that McLaren’s technology arm has secured the two-year deal.
The contract time is “in light of the ongoing rapid development of battery technology” and will last for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 campaigns.
Meanwhile the World Motor Sport Council also announced the approval of the introduction of a “power ramp down” where cars that have exceeded the allowed power useage during the race must linearly ramp down to 0kW use within five seconds on track.
The car’s rain light and ready-to-move light must flash to alert other drivers on track that this is happening.
The FIA statement adds:
“After the car crosses the pit-in line in the first car, or the finish line in the second car, the driver must be able to reactivate the MGU power to continue the race, or return to the pits. This amendment is designed to make the concept of drivers exceeding their power usage easier for spectators to follow.”
