Mercedes is ready for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship one year prior to previously announced.
It will however not be until Season 6 that Mercedes will enter as an official constructor under the Mercedes EQ Formula E Team banner.
The 2018/19 season will be with the HWA AG name, using the drive train from Venturi. The chassis itself will once again be from Spark, which will be the mandatory chassis for all brands.
HWA AG has been a part of the Venturi Formula E Team throughout the 2017/18 season, where they already have collected the first impressions of the electrical series. 2018/19 will be somewhat of a learning year, before HWA AG will be running the official Mercedes cars from Season 6 onwards.
Mercedes are currently developing their own drive train in Brixworth in England, where the engines and the ERS systems for the Formula 1 cars are being build and developed too.
While the Formula 1 team has their base in Brackley, the Formula E programme will run separately in a collaboration between Brixworth and Affalterbach, just as well as Brixworth and Brackley works together with the Formula 1 programme.
HWA AG has been running and developing the Mercedes DTM programme, so they have a great knowledge in motorsport already, but is all new to electric racing.
Mercedes are closing down their DTM commitment after the 2018 to fully focus on their ABB FIA Formula E Championship programme.