FORMULA E: What is the “Pit Boost” - Analysis
After years of teasing, prepping, and finalizing, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has introduced a state-of-the-art charging mechanism to welcome in new strategies for Season 11 - but what does it mean?
Jake Hughes (#5) - Portland E-Prix 2024
On its inaugural pilot run for the 2024-2025 season of Formula E, the brand new Pit Boost mechanism, designed in tandem with title sponsor ABB, looks to secure a brand new approach to the motorsport by allowing teams to charge their vehicles with an additional 10% of electricity throughout the headlining race. In doing so, the special feature adds to a long list of Formula E’s unique Mario Kart-esque race challenges, such as the longstanding Attack Mode first introduced seven years ago.
The Pit Boost boasts a remarkable achievement in electric vehicle technology, allowing for teams to utilize a full 600kW of power within a 30-second pit stop window. For context, the fastest charging speeds I’ve ever reached on a consumer 2023 Tesla Model 3 was 173kW, which only lasted for a mere few minutes before calming down to a general ~100kW. The DC Fast Charging mechanism for Formula E looks to provide drivers with a capped limit of 10% extra energy, tying into race strategy, tire degradation, and energy management throughout the 45 minute races.
However, the Boost does come with some notable limitations. For Season 11, the charging stops will only be used on select double-header weekends throughout the year, making an initial impact on the streets of Jeddah this past February. Even then, it may only play into the race on one of the two weekend races; forcing teams to alter their strategies between the two, and creating a more unique spectacle each day. Pit Boost is likely to return for double headers in Tokyo, Berlin, and London, although Lightshoot LLC does not currently have access to this information. There is also the concern, then, that Pit Boost is forcibly limited by the Championship to only charge an additional 10% of energy. While it’s likely that the system could charge faster, or with a greater kWh dispersion (in comparison, as if there were more gallons poured into the tank of a gas vehicle) but in the name of fairness, has been capped at 10% over 30 seconds.
Antonio Felix da Costa's (#13) Gen 3 Porsche Charger, Portland E-Prix 2024
So how will this affect the race? Well, the name of the game will be (as we saw in Round 4 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) the race off of pit road. As each driver is required to take his 30-second stop, all drivers and teams are equal on the front of whether they pit or not. However, WHEN you pit will be the great decider. Drivers who pit earlier may be able to pull off an undercut on the frontrunners; i.e., if Driver 3 were to pit three laps earlier than Driver 1, and if he reentered from his pit stop with LESS THAN a 30-second (or more, given time to get to/leave the pit box) gap to Driver 1, it is likely that when 1 pitted, 3 would take over the position where 1 previously sat.
We saw this previously in Round 4 of the Championship’s 11th Season from Nissan driver Oliver Rowland (#23). The Brit was able to successfully work his way back up to the front via a well-timed pit stop, which saw him take the lead over the front runners, and take the top step of the podium that night. What is also very interesting to pay attention to, will be the combination of Pit Boost and Attack Mode. The former, allowing drivers more energy. The latter, providing greater wheel power, but rather detracting from the usable energy by giving drivers AWD and an additional 50kW of power for a total of eight minutes. Drivers who utilize the Attack Mode early in the race may be able to take advantage of their increased power and work their way towards the front of the grid, before building a larger time-gap to the other cars to take his Pit Boost. Keep an eye out on Andretti’s Jake Dennis (#27) who was also to recuperate a recovery drive in Round 4 by burning up his rubber on the Attack Mode.
Overall, Formula E’s newest addition to the paddock looks to spice things up on Double Header weekends - and hopefully to more races in the season later on. The last time any sort of pitstops were seen in the series was in its infancy; during Gen 1, teams held two cars per driver in their pit. During a stop, drivers would swap over to a second car to finish the race, as the charging technology didn’t exist over a decade ago. Thanks to ABB and the Formula E Championship pioneering sustainability and EV technology, one can hope that this 600kW powerhouse charger may soon see consumer vehicles in production.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship continues in one month’s time for Round 5 in Miami, Florida! We hope to see you there and keep updated coverage on the Season 11 progress.
Lightshoot LLC is an Official Media Organization permitted coverage of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. All photos used are property of the LLC, and all information taken from official sources with www.fiaformulae.com.