Renesas and Mahindra Racing expand Formula E partnership

The team is collaborating on system-level design upgrades featuring the Renesas RH850/E2x microcontroller (MCU), designed for the robust requirements of powertrain systems, and Renesas’ automotive battery management ICs. For Season 5, Renesas took a module-level approach to the proof of concept design, developing an electronic control unit including PCB design, schematics, software and modular-level testing. The upgrades will deliver significant processing power improvements and an improved safety system for the low voltage battery. The ABB FIA Formula E Season 5 starts with the Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix in Riyadh on 15th December 2018 and runs through to 14th July 14 2019 at the New York City E-Prix.

“Through our collaboration over the past season, Mahindra Racing and Renesas have achieved tremendous results, and as Formula E shifts gears for upcoming seasons, we are excited to work with Renesas and enhance the design of our next-generation racing vehicles,” said Dilbagh Gill, CEO and Team Principal, Mahindra Racing. “With Renesas’ expertise in developing production-ready systems for EV and automotive, and our winning race team, we will continue pushing the bar for electric racing.”

“Formula E presents a unique design testing environment for EVs, allowing us to quickly prove our system-level design,” said Amrit Vivekanand, Vice President, Automotive System Development Business Unit, Renesas Electronics Corporation. “We are excited to expand our strategic technology partnership with Mahindra Racing and share system-level design insights that will help the team accelerate the learning curve for EV design and contribute to a successful 2018-2019 season.”

The ABB FIA Formula E Championship provides a design environment optimised for a race-to-road approach, where technology developments for racing can be tried and tested for deployment in mainstream production vehicles. These vehicle systems require an aggressive test environment to validate designs and provides a rapid response feedback loop that allows engineers to quickly identify, understand, and apply key learning's to speed the development and manufacturing curve for future EV design.

Since the technology partnership began in November 2017, Renesas has collaborated with Mahindra Racing to deploy advanced, production-ready EV technologies for its race cars. As a leading global automotive semiconductor supplier, Renesas will continue to deliver robust EV solutions for the markets.