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When it comes to safety, Formula E is a three-dimensional championship and the Gen2’s crash structures aren’t the only thing that keep our crew members safe.
Electrical safety plays a key role in the series and here at ROKiT Venturi Racing, we have a set of measures in place – just like the rest of the field.
Given carbon fibre’s conductivity, and therefore, the whole car’s conductivity, monitoring battery insulation is key and ultimately, the status of the car must be safe at all times.
This status is clearly through lights situated on the cockpit in front of the Halo, and as Team Manager, Delphine Biscaye explains, three possible light colours indicate a different status of the car.
“In terms of the electrical safety, we need to ensure that the car’s insulation is correct at all times,” said Delphine.
“The car runs auto-diagnostics as soon as it is powered up and when that happens, the lights in front of the cockpit turn on.
“These lights tell the team if the car is safe to touch or not, and as long as we have a green light showing, it means it is safe.
“If we get a red light, it means that the electrical circuit is either open which makes it unsafe.”
Should a red light show, it is vital that a team member doesn’t touch the car and if this procedure isn’t followed, the consequence could be disastrous.
“If someone touched the car when the red light was showing, they could be electrocuted because the current would flow between the person, the battery and the car, creating a closed circuit.”
Dealing with this potential fault isn’t quite plain sailing, but with a set of clearly defined processes, we’re covered for every eventuality and scenario.
“If the driver is inside the car when the red light comes on, they need to stay in the cockpit, close their hands and not touch anything,” added Delphine. “They cannot get out of the car until they are told so.
“In any case of red light – or no light – then the battery engineer from McLaren Applied Technologies will come and make the first checks, followed by the powertrain engineer who will see if there is a real risk or if the diagnosis was wrong which is when we find out if the car is or isn’t safe.
“When doing checks and fixing the issue, all personnel have to wear full protective equipment with big electrical insulated gloves, a helmet, and an electrical insulated mat to prevent them from touching any part of the car.
“This is worn until the car is safe and all of this equipment will prevent you from getting electrocuted.
“There have been some red lights since 2014 but never any real red lights but we always have to check. If you don’t have the green light, there is always a risk – we need to protect everybody.”
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