The popular motorsport championship is helping to develop the next generation of electric vehicles, writes Langa Dube, regional director at TCS South Africa & Rest of Africa.
Helping to drive this transition is the ABB Formula E World Championship. Described as “the future of motorsport”, the Formula E championship features high-performance EV racing cars competing in major cities around the world. The popular race does not form part of this year’s championship, but there are plans to include it in 2024/25. Staying involved in Formula E gives South Africa a stake in electric vehicle evolution, which is already part of the country’s national automotive strategy. EV manufacturing was also mentioned by South African president Cyril Ramaphosa in his recent State of the Nation address.
TCS, as a global technology services and consulting company, has been instrumental in providing the advanced technological infrastructure that sets Jaguar TCS Racing team apart in the highly competitive Formula E landscape. TCS has implemented top-edge fail-proof cloud solutions, where data and decision systems operate seamlessly.
When teams travel the circuit, they don’t get the chance to practise whenever they want. The simulator allows the Jaguar TCS Racing Team to conduct tests that are close to reality, as it replicates all kinds of scenarios – from the ambient temperature to the type of asphalt. Improvements derived from its nine seasons in Formula E have also helped Jaguar with the development of its all-electric range of vehicles. Learnings Jaguar has derived from the racetrack include fast-charging systems, and the above-mentioned regenerative braking, which converts the kinetic energy from braking into power to charge the battery.