Audi's next-gen 2012 Formula E racer

The Audi e-tron FE07 that has been developed by Audi Sport, includes its new Audi MGU05 small and defective motor-generator unit.

In the 2021 season, which starts in Chile in mid-January, Formula E will be held as an official FIA World Championship for the first time. For Audi, the commitment in the fully electric racing series is not just a sporting competition on the highest international level, but also perfectly supports the brand’s transformation towards sustainable and digital premium mobility. “Motorsport has always been of decisive importance for Audi and its technology development. That is also where our most famous slogan ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ comes from,” says Team Principal Allan McNish.

Audi's next-gen 2012 Formula E racer

For Audi, the seventh season is also associated with another premiere. “The Audi e-tron FE07 has an all-new electric powertrain that was developed in-house for the first time,” says Stefan Aicher, Head of Development e-Drive at Audi Sport. While in recent years a continually optimized version of the powertrain, jointly developed with technology partner Schaeffler, was always used, work on the new MGU inverter unit for the coming world championship started from scratch. “We went to the limits in all areas of this project,” comments Aicher.

Audi's next-gen 2012 Formula E racer

The result is a new centerpiece named the Audi MGU05: an electric one-speed drivetrain with an internal rotor concept, external magnets, a highly efficient cooling system and six electrical phases. Moreover, the engineers led by Stefan Aicher managed to clearly save weight once again compared to the previous unit by using lightweight materials and intelligent integration inside the vehicle. “We were able to directly reinvest these savings in the new MGU for the benefit of enhanced efficiency. Even so, the new MGU inverter unit weighs less than 35 kilograms. This was an exceptional achievement by the whole team,” says Aicher.

source Audi