Formula E pushes back its 600 kW mid-race charging plans til next year
Formula E, the electric open-wheel racing series, has pushed back plans to introduce a mid-race 600 kW charging session until next year. The series had planned to have a short charging pit stop during races this year, but supply chain issues have delayed the implementation of the plan.
This year, Formula E introduced a new, faster “Gen3” car, which is lighter and more powerful than last year’s car. The new car includes a high DC charge capacity, which helps to enable stronger regenerative braking but also unlocks the potential of mid-race charging.
The series planned to introduce mid-race charging this year, with cars taking one “pit stop” per race to do a charge of around 30 seconds. While 30 seconds doesn’t seem like a lot of time as far as EV charges go, the Gen3 cars have such high charge rates that every second can make a real difference.
At a charge rate of 600 kW, that means a 30-second charge can deliver about 5 kWh of energy, which is 1/8th the size of the Gen3’s 39 kWh battery pack. So the cars can charge more than 10% in just 30 seconds.
Formula E says the technology is all there for these chargers, but the problem has been in supply chains for the ABB charging unit that would be used in the races.
As a result, the plans to introduce charging at the beginning of this season were pushed back to mid-season, and now it looks like the chargers would only be ready for the last one or two race weekends of the season.
At that point, it becomes an issue of fairness – in an already-tight racing season, introducing a change at the very end of the season could swing the championship at the last moment. Some teams objected to that, arguing that changes shouldn’t be made mid-season and that the rules should remain the same all season long. Porsche, which is currently in the lead for both the teams’ and drivers’ championships, has opposed the rule change in particular.
The series now plans to introduce charging at the start of the 2024 season instead and seems confident that supply issues will be worked out by then and that racing teams will be more on board with a full season change.
Electrek’s Take
We’re very excited to see this mid-race fast-charging happen. 600 kW is a lot of charge capacity, and EV drivers should be interested in a proof-of-concept of this type of technology. Sometimes, it can take 30 seconds to even start a charging session at major DC charge networks, and by that time, the Formula E car would have already put more than 10% into the battery.
While 10% may not seem like a lot, Formula E races are optimized down to tenths of a percent of charge. In the nine seasons of its running, teams have gotten good enough at managing their energy use that most cars finish the race with exactly 0.0% battery left, using their regenerative braking on the last straight to put just a little juice into the battery to stay over the minimum battery regulations in the racing rules. So in light of that, 10% gives a lot more wiggle room.
Drivers who have used DC chargers on the road know that sometimes it takes time for chargers to ramp up to speed. So if we can get a proof-of-concept of cars starting these charges rapidly and safely, maybe we could do something about the long ramp-up and handshaking times on public chargers. Or maybe that’s a naive hope, but regardless, I’m still quite interested in seeing these charges happen. Plus, they’ll shake up the racing, which is always good.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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