 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Frédéric Vasseur |
| Headquarters | Tigery,France |
| Website | sparkracingtechnology |
Spark Racing Technology (SRT) is amotorsport manufacturer specialized in the development and engineering of high-performanceelectric vehicles and modules. The company was founded byFrédéric Vasseur to become the solechassis supplier for theFIA Formula E Championship but is now involved in other projects as well.
The company was officially registered in October 2012.[1]
In 2010,Frédéric Vasseur'sART Grand Prix team built theFormulec EF01 car in an effort to get a supplier deal for the newly forming all-electric series. It was later chosen as the base vehicle for the development of the new chassis.[2] In November 2012, the Formula E promoter and organiser, Formula E Holdings, declared that Spark Racing Technology was officially mandated to design and build all 40Spark-Renault SRT_01E single-seaters.[3]
The car was developed in collaboration withMcLaren Electronic Systems,Williams Advanced Engineering,Dallara andRenault.[4] In theinaugural season, all teams ran this car as the series was fullyspec. Starting with the2015–16 season, teams were allowed to develop their ownpowertrains andsoftware with the other parts remaining spec. Teams had the option to revert toMcLaren's "SRT01-e" powertrain from the inaugural season, whichTeam Aguri andAmlin Andretti took advantage of in the 2015–16 season. Spark updated the chassis for the2016–17 season, introducing a more complex front wing.
The chassis was in competition for four seasons (2014–15,2015–16,2016–17 and2017–18) and 45ePrix events.
TheFIA put the chassis supply for the seasons 5 to 7 out totender. Spark won the new tender with a completely redesigned chassis which included thehalo safety device.[3] The chassis' lifespan was later extended to four seasons, with a visual update package originally planned for the car's third season (2020–21), being delayed to2021–22, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[5] This update package is known as Gen2EVO.[6] However, the Gen2EVO never debuted as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened before season 8, prompting FIA to scrap the project.
| Year | Car | Class | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Spark-Renault SRT_01E | Formula E | .JPG) |
| 2018 | Spark SRT05e | Formula E |  |
| 2021 | Spark Odyssey 21 | Extreme E |  |
| 2022 | Formula E Gen3 | Formula E |  |