DS Virgin Racing Starts Testing Its New E-Tense FE 19

At the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, the organizers of the FIA Formula E Championship revealed their next-generation electric racer. Several participating automakers also showcased their takes on the new design. But PSA’s DS brand is the first to actually put theirs to the test.

The French marque took its new E-Tense FE 19 – looking striking in matt black and gold – out for the first time onto its factory test track in Versailles, France, on the outskirts of Paris.

The battery-powered single-seater packs a 250-kW (335-horsepower) electric powertrain with a 54-kWh energy cell. Its improved capacity will obviate the need for the mid-race car swaps that have characterized the ePrix races to date. It also features a brake-by-wire system, and promises to deliver even better performance than the Spark SRT-01E that has served as the backbone of the series until now.

“With just days to go before Formula E’s first official pre-Season 5 test, it was great to see the DS E-TENSE FE 19 run at our track in Satory,” said DS Performance director Xavier Mestelan-Pinon. “The car’s different assemblies had previously been tested on the bench but this is the first time the fully assembled car has turned a wheel. Starting it was a rewarding moment for the team’s technical staff. It’s an occasion you never forget.”

The new crop of cars will make their race debut later this year when the fifth season kicks off. The full calendar and list of entries has yet to be finalized. But DS partners with the Virgin Racing team in the series, with British drivers Sam Bird and Alex Lynn currently behind the wheel. Bird won the opening round this season in Hong Kong, and has scored two more podium finishes so far to sit third place in the standings, elevating his team along with him to the same place in the teams’ championship. The next race is scheduled to take place in Rome on April 14.