Porsche has revealed that the development of its Season 6 powertrain is entering its final phase ahead of the German marque's arrival in Formula E later this year.
Porsche will be one of two new entrants for Formula E's sixth season of competition, with Mercedes EQ, who continued to test its Silver Arrow 01 package earlier this month, also enlisting into the all-electric championship, replacing HWA Racelab.
Porsche's 2019/20 powertrain will be homologated by the FIA this summer, meaning that no further changes can be made to the drive components of the package.
“Since building the Porsche Formula E car in January, we have made major progress in both development and testing," said Malte Huneke, Porsche Formula E Technical Project Leader.
"We can continue to optimise its components up until the homologation to ensure that we are perfectly prepared for our maiden Formula E season.
"The simulation work is particularly helpful in, say, optimising energy management. However, the actual conditions only prevail at a racetrack. For example, it is not possible to simulate driving over kerbs completely accurately in the simulator or on the test bench.
"Tyre management and braking behaviour are also best researched at the racetrack. We are right on schedule: with extensive test drives at the racetracks, continuous work in the simulator and tests on the test bench. We gain important data and insights for the development."
Porsche's test and development programme ahead of Season 6 has so far been positive, with the manufacturer performing its initial car rollout at its Weissach testing grounds in March before completing 1,000km of running at Calafat in April
With Season 6 set to commence on November 22, one half of Porsche's driver lineup has been confirmed, with Swiss pilot Neel Jani returning to Formula E after contesting the first two races of Season 4 for Dragon Racing.
The identity of Jani's team-mate for next season is currently unknown, however, ex-Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver Brendon Hartley has been heavily involved in the testing process ahead of Porsche's maiden season in Formula E while current DS Techeetah driver Andre Lotterer has been linked to the seat.
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