DTM launches electric series – with over 1,000PS! | FOS Future Lab
The DTM has pulled the covers off its demonstration car for the 1,000PS+ EV series that will join as a support race for the German saloon series during the 2023 season. The car is a collaboration between the promotor of the series, ITR and automotive supplier Schaeffler.
The car is currently undergoing testing at Hockenheim, with some DTM royalty shaking down this otherworldly machine: DTM champions Hans-Joachim Stuck and Timo Scheider. They join Formula E driver Dniel Abt and Schaeffler brand ambassador Sophia Floersch in putting the so-called ‘E-car’ through its paces. The car uses Schaeffler’s Space Drive steer-by-wheel system, though the capacity of the fluid-cooled high-voltage battery isn’t yet known.
"Our innovative e-drivetrain systems have been contributing to victories in Formula E since 2014 already and are also being used in production cars in the meantime,” said Matthias Zink, Schaeffler board member Automotive Technologies.
"The partnership with the DTM and the fully-electric series for the future are proof that Schaeffler is helping shape e-mobility as a reliable technology partner."
Thirty-minute sprint races are being planned for the series’ potential debut in 2023. Electric power is perhaps not the biggest innovation planned for the series. That honour goes to the potential use of automation – machines swapping out the batteries and potentially the wheels during pitstops.
The new electric class is just one of five prongs of the new DTM platform planned for the coming years, joining standard DTM (to be under GT3 regs), DTM Masters (GT4), DTM Classic and DTM Esports.
"Together with Schaeffler, our first strategic partner with which we will be cooperating, we want to lead the DTM platform into a successful future," said DTM boss Gerhard Berger.
"It is our aim not only to showcase the latest technology in DTM Electric but also to bring central innovations to the race track that allow for spectacular racing. Thus, we also want to convince the classic motorsport fans about future technologies and fascinate them with attractive racing."
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