Formula E approves increased battery power for second season races

The original target of 133kw for the inaugural championship was raised to 150kw when it became clear in testing last year that the Williams Advanced Engineering batteries used in the Spark-Renault FE cars could support a greater power output.

Teams were then given the chance to run at 170kw during the final summer 2015 test at Donington Park last month, and following the success of those runs FE has confirmed that this power output will be available in races.

Williams advanced engineering managing director Craig Wilson said: "Formula E is all about pushing electric vehicle technology to its limits and showcasing its evolution to the public.

"Williams Advanced Engineering is working on a diverse portfolio of electric and hybrid vehicle projects and the learnings from Formula E are invaluable in developing our technology.

"During season two the batteries will now be operating at 30 per cent more power than they were initially designed for and we have upgraded certain components and worked closely with the teams to make sure that this is sustainable without significantly affecting reliability.

"With this development the cars will be travelling faster during each race which will help keep Formula E as an exciting racing series."

The second FE season begins in Beijing on October 24, the race having recently been postponed by one week.