When 18 electrically powered racing cars compete around a two-kilometer section of Berlin‘s Karl-Marx-Allee and Strausberger Platz tomorrow, ITK Engineering will be on board: the technology company is the exclusive software partner of the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team in the FIA Formula E Championship, and is developing the entire software package for the vehicles of championship leader Lucas di Grassi and his team colleague Daniel Abt. In addition to the transmission management system, ITK develops the complete control of the powertrain – including the energy strategy and the battery management system, and the cockpit human-machine interface for display of energy data. ITK is responsible for the whole development cycle – from analysis of requirements, through development, verification and validation as well as integration into the vehicle, to trackside support during test runs and racing events. Consistent application of a model-based development approach, and verification and validation during the early development stages on ITK’s own HiL test bench (hardware-in-the-loop), allows the company to implement new functions within the extremely tight development cycles typical in the motorsports sector.
“Electric-powered racing cars not only provide the drivers and audiences with a totally new driving experience and visual spectacle – they create a whole new dimension in motorsports. I am truly fascinated by the combination of high-power automobiles and e-mobility, especially since the development of sustainable innovations is a central component of our company strategy”, says Michael Englert, CEO and founder of ITK Engineering, adding: “I am delighted to be working with the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team, as part of Formula E, to actively push technologies of the future, which also involve totally new requirements for the area of motorsport – such as recuperation, range management and optimal energy supply to the electrical loads.”
“In Formula E, the software and the powertrain must operate in total harmony, so that our driver can rely one hundred percent on everything – that’s the key to success in this racing championship. With ITK Engineering, we have the perfect partner alongside us – not just for developing the software, but also for long-term tuning and ongoing development, as well as trackside support. In motorsports, reliability, precision and a spirit of innovation are required – values that ITK and ABT both share”, says Hans-Juergen Abt, managing director of ABT Sportsline.
Formula E Relies on Sustainability
The focus of automobile organization FIA’s Formula E program is upon eco-friendliness, economy and sustainability ‒ but without impairing the passion that characterizes the motorsport. Though the vehicles were still based on a single model in the first season during 2014/2015, the teams are allowed to develop their own drives for the electric sports cars since this season. Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, the vehicles reach the FIA’s maximum permitted speed of 225 km/h (140 mph). The worldwide races are held on circuits close to city centers, because they create significantly less noise, and there are no exhaust gas emissions. In Berlin, the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team and its driver Lucas die Grassi will be at the head of the starting grid with its 11-point lead.
About ABT Sportsline
ABT Sportsline is the world leader in tuning Volkswagen vehicles, and one of Europe’s most successful motorsport teams. It can trace its history back to 1896, when Johann Abt founded the family concern with his blacksmith shop. Today ABT Sportsline is based in Kempten, with about 170 employees, and is represented in 50 countries around the world. The motor racing team participates as the Audi works team in the German Touring Car Masters competition (DTM), and as Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport in the FIA’s Formula E race series for electric vehicles.
Further information:
“Electric-powered racing cars not only provide the drivers and audiences with a totally new driving experience and visual spectacle – they create a whole new dimension in motorsports. I am truly fascinated by the combination of high-power automobiles and e-mobility, especially since the development of sustainable innovations is a central component of our company strategy”, says Michael Englert, CEO and founder of ITK Engineering, adding: “I am delighted to be working with the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team, as part of Formula E, to actively push technologies of the future, which also involve totally new requirements for the area of motorsport – such as recuperation, range management and optimal energy supply to the electrical loads.”
“In Formula E, the software and the powertrain must operate in total harmony, so that our driver can rely one hundred percent on everything – that’s the key to success in this racing championship. With ITK Engineering, we have the perfect partner alongside us – not just for developing the software, but also for long-term tuning and ongoing development, as well as trackside support. In motorsports, reliability, precision and a spirit of innovation are required – values that ITK and ABT both share”, says Hans-Juergen Abt, managing director of ABT Sportsline.
Formula E Relies on Sustainability
The focus of automobile organization FIA’s Formula E program is upon eco-friendliness, economy and sustainability ‒ but without impairing the passion that characterizes the motorsport. Though the vehicles were still based on a single model in the first season during 2014/2015, the teams are allowed to develop their own drives for the electric sports cars since this season. Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, the vehicles reach the FIA’s maximum permitted speed of 225 km/h (140 mph). The worldwide races are held on circuits close to city centers, because they create significantly less noise, and there are no exhaust gas emissions. In Berlin, the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team and its driver Lucas die Grassi will be at the head of the starting grid with its 11-point lead.
About ABT Sportsline
ABT Sportsline is the world leader in tuning Volkswagen vehicles, and one of Europe’s most successful motorsport teams. It can trace its history back to 1896, when Johann Abt founded the family concern with his blacksmith shop. Today ABT Sportsline is based in Kempten, with about 170 employees, and is represented in 50 countries around the world. The motor racing team participates as the Audi works team in the German Touring Car Masters competition (DTM), and as Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport in the FIA’s Formula E race series for electric vehicles.
Further information:
- About ITK Engineering: http://www.itk-engineering.de/en
- Our services to Motorsport: http://www.itk-engineering.de/en/industries/motorsports
- Our involvement in the Electro-mobility sector: http://www.itk-engineering.de/en/events/wave-2016
- About ABT Sportsline: http://www.abt-sportsline.de/en
- More about FIA Formula E: http://fiaformulae.com
