American electric car manufacturer Lucid Motors has revealed that it is the former supplier of electric motors for the current Formula E Gen3 race car. The drive unit that Lucid is presenting for motorsport now has an output of 350 kW and consists of an electric motor, inverter, including differential and gearbox.
The concept of a Gen3 race car with an electric motor mounted on the front axle was first mooted in April 2022, when it was confirmed that it would be a standard component across all manufacturers for recovery purposes only. The electric drive on the rear axle is therefore solely responsible for propulsion – and the manufacturer continues to develop this drive itself.
But: while at the time there was talk of 250 kW recuperated by the front motor, Lucid now says 350 kW – of which, however, only 250 kW is available to the software. The unit has been trimmed for lightweight construction, with all components weighing just 32 kg. The rotor can reach up to 19,500 revolutions per minute.
Development happens entirely within Lucid, as does production. “For Lucid, technology transfer between motorsports and road cars is a two-way symbiosis,” said CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson. “This new motorsport drive builds directly on groundbreaking powertrain technology developed in-house at Lucid and proven on the road in every Lucid Air. I am concerned that some of the technological advancements introduced may in turn be applied to future Excited at the prospect of the Lucid road car.”
As mentioned earlier, since the Lucid motor-generator unit is likely to be used only for energy recovery, it is part of the Gen3 car’s complex braking system in Formula E. On the front axle, in addition to the Lucid, there are disc brake units for deceleration. In addition, rear drive units developed by various manufacturers contribute to deceleration through energy recovery. On the rear axle, there are no disc brakes, except for a backup system that is used only in emergencies.
However, due to the short testing and development time, there was also criticism of the well-designed braking system. There were some unusual incidents during the test drive in Valencia and at the first race of the season in Mexico. The fact that the Mexican car is still running without a backup disc brake on the rear axle also shows how short the development time was. The system is only ready for the race in Saudi Arabia this weekend.
