China Racing with a NEXTEV powertrain for season 2

For the next Formula E season, the China Racing team will have a new powertrain built by the Chinese company NEXTEV, echoing the arrival of manufacturers for the second season of Formula E. The construction process is currently underway, with the second season of Formula E set to start on August 10th with private testing.

Steven Lu, head of China Racing, spoke about this new powertrain group: These are exciting times for Team China Racing. NEXTEV is our technology development company and we already have several electric powertrain programs for automotive and commercial vehicles, as well as the construction of two complete sets of electric racing car batteries to race in China.

The boss of the Chinese team is showing great ambition for the future: « Formula E is an ideal testing and development platform for us because it’s a world-class competition, and we are passionate about world-class performance whether on the track or off the track. The development of electric technology is still at an early stage in China, and through NEXTEV, we intend to play a leading role in this market. »

In the shorter term, the China Racing team will compete in the Long Beach ePrix this Saturday where Nelson Piquet hopes to have a FanBoost. For now, the Brazilian driver is in the lead, but by the end of the week, everything could change.

The Brazilian driver hopes to win the North American race as his father did in F1 in 1980, and to achieve that, he hopes to secure the FanBoost. Currently trailing Piquet, Sam Bird is second in the FanBoost voting according to the official Formula E website. Jean-Eric Vergne, driving for Andretti Autosport, is currently third. However, his teammate Scott Speed, who was leading during the week, is now in fourth place. As a reminder, the FanBoost provides an additional 40 horsepower to a driver for 5 seconds during an ePrix.