The ABB FIA Formula E Championship and the FIA has announced, that their planned upgrade of the cars for season 2020/21 has been pushed back one year.
The reason is of course due to COVID-19, which has put a stop to everything, and because some manufacturers might be able to work weeks or months longer than others, it’s been decided to stop all the development.
Instead, the cars will be introduced for the 2021/22 season.
The concept drawing was released earlier this year. All of the teams will still have to use the exact same chassis’s, but they will be allowed to work on the powertrain in the car. The batteries are all the same, so it’s just the software and powertrain, that the teams can develop.
It has also been decided, that the teams only will be allowed to upgrade the powertrain components once for the next two seasons. If they choose to do it for Season 7, which is scheduled to start later this year, or if they are waiting for Season 8, when the Gen2 EVO car is released.
A rule change is scheduled for 2022/23, with new chassis and battery, but that might change in the coming months. The press release only started that the powertrain would last up to and including 2021/22 – and a lot can happen before that.