Bosch Powers the Electronics Behind Dragon Formula E

Bosch Motorsport is working on a high-tech electronic vehicle management system for the Dragon and Penske Autosport Formula E team. This includes designing specific hardware and software components. They’ve formed a long-term partnership with the team, which is based in both Los Angeles and the UK.

At the core of this new system is the MS 50.4P vehicle control unit (VCU). This central unit not only manages the motor and energy systems but also handles other key functions like brake energy recovery and driver display controls.

Markus Heyn, a board member at Bosch, mentioned that collaborating with Dragon strengthens Bosch’s role in Formula E. He emphasized that this partnership highlights Bosch’s leadership in powertrain management for both everyday electric vehicles and high-performance electric race cars.

The plan is to use this new vehicle management system in a race for the first time in the spring of 2021, with preparations already in full swing. Bosch also aims to develop a complete electric powertrain for Formula E’s ninth season.

Jay Penske, the team principal at Dragon, expressed excitement about partnering with Bosch. He appreciates Bosch Engineering’s support and sees this partnership as a way to showcase Bosch’s technology and leadership in the electric mobility industry. Penske believes this technical collaboration is a significant milestone for the team and looks forward to introducing their new Penske Autosport package on the track.

The VCU, developed by Bosch, is essential to the car’s electronic system. Bosch also created a custom vehicle wiring harness for better integration and equipped the team’s development car with data loggers to enhance research and testing.

To ensure the electronics seamlessly integrate with the vehicle, Bosch provided its RaceConnect LTE cloud for data transfer and telemetric analysis during development and test driving. This helps the race team’s engineers quickly analyze and optimize vital vehicle parameters.

Given the stringent Formula E regulations, the performance of these electronics is crucial for success. Klaus Böttcher, vice president of Bosch Motorsport, stated that they strive to balance energy efficiency with lap times to maximize the vehicle’s potential in all conditions. Bosch’s expertise from mass production developments aids in achieving this.

The MS 50.4P’s race energy management feature dynamically adjusts the car’s performance for faster lap times within energy limits. The VCU also improves energy recovery between electric and hydraulic brakes, tailoring the powertrain and brakes to race conditions for better driver feedback.

Nicolas Mauduit, the team’s chief technical officer, noted that partnering with Bosch brings additional resources and access to their advanced hardware and software expertise, boosting their competitiveness against larger manufacturers. He’s eager to see the results of their hard work as the season progresses.