FIA sets rules for electric sports cars

The FIA ​​plans to introduce new rules for electric competition cars, with the aim of making motorsport accessible at national and regional level.

The new regulations, called FIA ESV (FIA Electric Sport Vehicles), will use vehicles based on production models. Organizers or promoters can use these vehicles as a basis to create their own category.

It will be a tourism-oriented regulation, with standardized features and minimal changes allowed. The bodywork of the vehicles will be similar to that of the production models, with the exception of the widened wheel arches. This approach is reminiscent of the Electric GT Championship, an abortive discipline in which a Tesla Model S was used.

Participating brands will be able to replace the doors, trunk and sporty elements such as the rear spoiler with parts made from lightweight materials. The number of doors will not be large, but the maximum authorized height will be 1.46 meters.

The regulations will provide for the obligation to have a minimum power of 300 kW, whether in rear-wheel drive or with an all-wheel-drive system with four-wheel drive. In addition, data will be collected using a standard box provided by the FIA.

This measure could serve as a basis for car manufacturers

The objective is to establish rules regarding consumption and efficiency. However, no information has been disclosed on this subject and it will be up to the championships to assume these parameters.

“FIA Circuit Racing Director Marek Nawarecki said: “As the governing body of motorsport globally, it is also our responsibility to make our knowledge and expertise available to our clubs. members, as well as local organizers and promoters."

The FIA ​​ESV revives the spirit of Group N, where buying a car from a dealer, equipped with all the necessary safety features, essentially prepared it for competition and made it adaptable to different disciplines and formats.

Lutz Leif Linden, chairman of the FIA's GT commission, goes one step further, seeing the regulations as a potential business model for electric car manufacturers. According to him, championships associated with brands could see the light of day.

Linden says the FIA's ESV regulations respond perfectly to market demands. He explains that this set of technical rules will allow manufacturers' racing departments to offer competition-ready variants of their electric cars.

It could be a huge revenue stream for them, just like the GT3 is. It might even offer them the opportunity to create their own series of unique events.