- DS Automobiles, which has contested the FIA Formula E Championship since the 2015/2016 campaign, will be the competition’s only French FIA-approved constructor in Season 5 (2018/2019) when a new generation of all-electric single-seater racing cars will go head-to-head for the very first time.
- DS Automobiles is proud to present its latest all-electric Formula E challenger, DS E-TENSE FE 19.
The efficient technology developed by DS Automobiles’ competition arm DS Performance has already harvested four victories and 10 podium finishes on four continents over a period spanning less than three years.
At the same time, the know-how accrued in racing is accelerating the development of DS Automobiles’ range of electrified cars and all the brand’s models will feature plug-in hybrid or all-electric variants in the future.
Visitors to DS World in Paris, France (33 rue François 1er) will be treated to an avant-premiere viewing of DSE-TENSE FE 19 finished in an exclusive matt black and gold livery when it goes on display on 7 March 2019.
The avant-garde brand DS Automobiles first rose to the FIA Formula E challenge in Season 2 when new technical regulations provided constructors with an opportunity to demonstrate their particular expertise.
At the end of 2018, Season 5 of the series will mark the beginning of a fresh era for Formula E as a second generation of cars takes centre stage. In addition to combining an extensively revised chassis and a new aerodynamic package designed to generate extra aero-downforce and less drag, with no rear wing, the new single-seaters will be equipped with a new battery, new tyres and ‘halo’ cockpit head protection.
Meanwhile, DS Performance has used its three years of experience in Formula E to entirely rethink its drive train. Its new motor – the DS E-MOTOR 19 – incorporates an optimised energy recovery system and the brand has capitalised on its knowhow to conceive a new transmission system, a new rear suspension arrangement, a new cooling system, a new fully active braking system and new electronics engineered to optimise energy management.
Since the creation of DS Automobiles in 2014, DS Performance has used the excellence that drives its successful Formula E programme to help shape its vision for automobile mobility in the future. The technology developed by the men and women working out of its Versailles headquarters has proved to be both efficient and competitive, as testified by the team’s winning record in the all-electric championship. In recent months, the brand has used the lessons learned while racing in this high-tech laboratory to fine tune the development of DS 7 CROSSBACK E-TENSE 4×4 and also its other upcoming electrified models.
“Formula E is set to undergo a revolution next season,” says DS Performance Director Xavier Mestelan Pinon. “The progress achieved recently by all the constructors involved in Formula E has spurred us to surpass ourselves and be even more resourceful. The new-generation cars will have a power output of 250kW and a 54kWh battery. DS E-TENSE FE 19’s drivers will consequently benefit from both twice the range and higher performance, and these gains mirror the phenomenal progress that has been seen in the world of electric vehicle technology made possible by Formula E. It is due to this level of technology that we are able to offer our customers ever more innovative cars and even higher performance, which is the real driving force behind our involvement in this avant-garde championship.”
DS E-TENSE FE 19 incorporates a number of new solutions conceived by DS Performance. Work on the car began in September 2016 and the first components were submitted to bench testing the following spring. The target of a minimum weight of 900kg – driver and battery (380kg) included – represented a major challenge and DS Performance is also working on the development of an innovative energy recovery system based on electronically-controlled braking.
For its first public appearance, DS E-TENSE FE 19 features a matt black finish, which expresses DS Performance’s new visual signature, while the livery’s gold detailing symbolises France’s unique savoir-faire in the luxury goods sector which is so dear to DS Automobiles.
Meanwhile, the lessons learned in racing are accelerating the development of DS Automobiles’ range of electrified vehicles. Plug-in or all-electric variants of all its models will effectively be available in the future, the first example being DS 7 CROSSBACK E-TENSE 4×4 which will be equipped with two motors for a total power of 300 horsepower and a driving range on electricity alone in excess of 37 miles (60 kilometres).
“We are extremely proud of the way DS Performance is defending DS’s colours in Formula E,” affirms Yves Bonnefont, CEO, DS Automobiles. “Our brand is young and ambitious, and electrified vehicles have been a core part of our strategy from the outset. By 2025, 35 percent of the DSs we sell will be electrified versions. 2018 is a hugely important year for DS with the launch of DS 7 CROSSBACK and the debut of the new DS E-TENSE FE 19. More big surprises that benefit from the avant-garde innovation hatched by the creative forces at DS Automobiles are in store over the coming months, too.”
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
DS E-TENSE FE 19
| Type | Single seater |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 5.16m x 1.77m x 1.05m |
| WHEELBASE | 3.10m |
| WEIGHT OF THE CAR | 900kg minimum with driver |
| BATTERIES | 54kwh capacity, 385kg |
| ENGINE | Electric motor(s) driving the rear wheels |
| MAX POWER | 250kW (338hp) |
| RACING ENERGY RECOVERED POWER | 250kW |
| SUPPLY | 900 V |
| BRAKES | Ventilated carbon discs, 4-piston calipers, rear brake by wire |
| MAX SPEED | 142.9mph (230kph) optimized for street circuits |
| 0 TO 62mph (100kph) | 2.8 seconds |
| BRAKING DISTANCE | 100m to slow down from 142mph to 25mph |
| TYRES | Michelin Pilot Sport EV season 5, |
| 245x40R18 (Front) / 305x40R18 (Rear) |