The "Pit Stops" arrive in Formula E for ultra-fast charging

At the upcoming Saudi Arabian E-Prix, Formula E will introduce an interesting innovation that promises to drastically increase spectator interest. Just as happens in Formula 1 and many other FIA competitions, Formula E vehicles will begin making pit stops during the race to “refuel”. Although in this case the goal will not be to fill the tank, but to increase the level of energy stored in the battery through ultra-fast charging.

Formula E’s management has just officially confirmed that at the Jeddah E-Prix, to be held on February 14 and 15 next month, the so-called Pit Boosts will debut, adding a greater level of excitement to the races and allowing teams to play with different strategies.

These Pit Boosts will, however, be somewhat different from what you are probably imagining. Unlike a conventional electric vehicle, their purpose will not be to reach at least 80 percent of the battery pack’s capacity. At each of the pit stops made it will be possible to charge an additional 10 percent, or in other words 3.85 kWh, which will require only 30 seconds using an ultra-fast charger with a power of 600 W. The vehicle must also remain stationary for a minimum of 34 seconds, which leaves just 4 seconds for the teams to connect and disconnect the charging cable.

Some other considerations you should not overlook

Another point to keep in mind is that these Pit Boosts will be mandatory for teams in some races of the season, but not all. This means that in those cases teams do not have the option of deciding whether the time lost in the pit stop is worth the additional energy gained or whether it would be better to avoid that stop to recharge. They will have to lose those 34 seconds at minimum to recharge, no matter what.

Furthermore, a Pit Boost cannot be performed freely at any moment of the race; instead, it is activated from a specific charge level, communicated to teams 21 days before the race. Additionally, only one car per team may be stopped in the pit to recharge; the other must remain on track at that moment.

All of this means that, given that the Attack Mode boost zones are maintained Attack Mode, teams will have to play with these two elements to execute their race strategies in order to achieve the best possible result and prevail over the rest. In this way, it is expected that interest in the races will increase markedly for the benefit of spectators.

“After an exhaustive testing phase, we are very pleased to have given a new boost to electric mobility with the introduction of Pit Boost. This pioneering feature will add a new strategic element to every Formula E race and underlines the FIA’s firm commitment to implementing new technologies in competition.”