BMW To Officially Join Formula E Championship From Next Year

BMW will enter the FIA Formula E championship as an official manufacturer, starting from season 2018-19.

The Bavarian maker becomes the next official manufacturer that enters the electric racing series, following Audi’s announcement which is set to compete from this season.

BMW says that Formula E is the perfect development laboratory for production electric powertrain technology and that they will use their involvement in the development of the iNEXT and next-gen BMW i models.

“The borders between production and motor racing development are more blurred at BMW i Motorsport than in any other project,” said Klaus Fröhlich, Member of BMW’s Board of Management. “The result is a technology transfer on a whole new level. We are certainly confident that the BMW Group will benefit greatly from the experience gained in the field of electrotechnology during this project.”

The race cars will be powered by a completely new BMW drivetrain while the new works entry will be run by the Andretti Formula E team.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with BMW i and serve as BMW’s official Formula E works team beginning in Season 5,” said Michael Andretti, CEO of Andretti Autosport. “The ongoing collaboration between BMW and Andretti Formula E has provided a strong foundation for BMW’s entry as an official manufacturer.”