Formula E CEO Reigle confirms: No fast-charging pit stops until the start of the 2024 season

Formula E will not introduce its new fast-charging technology and the associated recharging pit stops during the 2023 season. This was confirmed by Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle and Chief Championship Officer Alberto Longo during the Berlin E-Prix. The racing series is thus performing a reversing their position after announcing the introduction of fast-charging pit stops "at selected races during the season".

The Formula E sporting format remains as it is for the remainder of this year. The new fast-charging technology, which was supposed to be introduced at the start of the season in January, will now not come until 2024. "The Attack Charge will not come this year, but next. We'll wait until next season and then do it properly," Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle confirmed in a media roundtable at the Berlin E-Prix, which was also attended by 'e-Formula.news'. "At the beginning of the season, we had hoped that we would be ready from a technical point of view and would be able to test sufficiently."

As is known now, this was not the case. The reason for the decision is believed to include delivery problems with important components that would have been necessary for the production of the fast chargers for all eleven teams. The technology itself was ready for use by the end of last year, as Porsche team boss Florian Modlinger confirmed once again this week: "We tested it, and it worked."

However, Formula E opted for a later launch during the season. The Monaco E-Prix was frequently mentioned as a possible date, much to the dissatisfaction of some teams. Porsche, in particular, repeatedly emphasized the importance of a uniform set of regulations for 2023, and clearly spoke out against the introduction of the new fast-charging pit stops. "I expect from an FIA World Championship that we have a constant set of sporting regulations over the course of the season," Modlinger said.

Alberto Longo: "We are in no hurry"

Alberto Longo, co-founder of Formula E, explained when asked by 'e-Formula.news': "Introducing it only for the last three or four races might not be the right decision - even if we technically could. After all, it will have a big impact on our sporting format. We would have liked to introduce it this year, but I don't think it I completely viable yet.

"But we are in no hurry," the Spaniard clarifies. "We've always said we want to introduce it in the Gen3 era, hoping for the launch (this year). Obviously, that's not working out. We have the technology, it works, but we also still have difficulties with supply chains - as others do. That was the main reason why we couldn't launch it this season. If it doesn't work out, we'll just introduce it in the first race of Season 10."

The next season of Formula E is expected to start at the end of this year or in January 2024. Formula E hopes to publish a first draft of the race calendar in June, as usual. Until the 2023 season finale in London at the end of July, the electric series will retain its current set of rules, including the "classic" Attack Mode.

additional reporting by Svenja König & Tobias Wirtz