ABB TECHNOLOGY TO FACILITATE ENERGY EFFICIENCY SAVINGS IN FORMULA E

ABB will integrate its innovative ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX^® energy management software solution into the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship this year, to help maximize the energy efficiency of the racing series’ at-track operations.

Season 9 of the all-electric racing series, of which ABB is the official charging partner, begins this weekend in Mexico City, where ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX^® will be used in a live racing environment. Following successful trials during Season 8, ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX^® will allow the championship’s engineers to monitor and analyze total race-specific energy output, helping drive more efficient usage.



Up to 14 metering boxes will be located at host venues, collecting data on how much electrical power (kilowatts) is being used by teams and other race partners at that moment and how much electricity (kilowatt hours) is consumed over any given time period. This information will be relayed back to race control via the Microsoft Azure cloud. Total consumption across entire E-Prix sites will also be monitored, encompassing operations including the TV broadcast suite, E-Village fan zone, media centre, catering facilities, the paddock and the teams’ pit garages.

The varied street circuits used by Formula E present the added challenge of having to use a range of power sources across different locations. ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX^® helps address this with a central dashboard which gives live visibility of all power at the racetrack, enabling Formula E’s technical teams to make all on-site activity more efficient, regardless of the power source.