The car is currently undergoing testing at Hockenheim, with some DTM royalty shaking down this otherworldly machine: DTM champions Hans-Joachim Stuck and Timo Scheider. They join Formula E driver Dniel Abt and Schaeffler brand ambassador Sophia Floersch in putting the so-called ‘E-car’ through its paces. The car uses Schaeffler’s Space Drive steer-by-wheel system, though the capacity of the fluid-cooled high-voltage battery isn’t yet known.
"Our innovative e-drivetrain systems have been contributing to victories in Formula E since 2014 already and are also being used in production cars in the meantime,” said Matthias Zink, Schaeffler board member Automotive Technologies.
"The partnership with the DTM and the fully-electric series for the future are proof that Schaeffler is helping shape e-mobility as a reliable technology partner."
Thirty-minute sprint races are being planned for the series’ potential debut in 2023. Electric power is perhaps not the biggest innovation planned for the series. That honour goes to the potential use of automation – machines swapping out the batteries and potentially the wheels during pitstops.