20 Apr Spark Racing Technology is forging its own path among electric and hydrogen-powered racing cars
MIA Member Spark Advanced Technology has shared the following news article.
Spark Racing Technology is forging its own path among electric and hydrogen-powered racing cars
In Tigery, Essonne, a part of the future of motorsport is being shaped. From 100% electric Formula E single-seaters to the first hydrogen-powered racing buggies, Spark Racing Technology designs the racing cars of tomorrow… and propels Essonne innovation onto circuits around the world.
The story begins in 2012 in Tigery, near Corbeil-Essonnes. Frédéric Vasseur, the current director of the Ferrari Formula 1 team, gathered a handful of engineers around a bold gamble: to build the single-seaters for a brand-new, all-electric championship. Two years later, the Spark-Renault SRT_01E took to the Beijing circuit for the first race in the history of Formula E, Formula 1’s sister series. Since then, all the cars competing on tracks around the world have come from the workshops in Essonne, and Spark Racing Technology boasts the status of exclusive supplier to the FIA, with a contract running until 2032.
Technological challenge and performance
In the discreet workshops of Tigery, around fifty people are busy crafting a single-seater that combines economy and ecology. Spark designs and assembles the chassis (the car’s structure), with each team installing its own electric motor and making its own adjustments.
While Formula E cars bear a striking resemblance to their Formula 1 counterparts, their design involves different technological challenges. Electric vehicles require batteries. These are bulky, heavy, and offer less range than internal combustion engine vehicles. The recyclability of materials and the organization of the industrial network (supplier distances, logistics routes, etc.) are also considered during the car’s design.
The upcoming E-Prix, scheduled for Berlin (May 2), Monaco, Shanghai, Tokyo and London, will once again showcase Spark chassis.
Pioneer in hydrogen-powered racing cars
Spark isn’t stopping there. The company has designed the Pioneer 25, the first hydrogen-powered racing buggy homologated by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). Competing in the Extreme H championship, an off-road motorsport competition, the vehicle is equipped with a 75 kW fuel cell and a high-performance battery.
This 2,200 kg machine develops 550 horsepower and emits only water vapor. Ten units were delivered to the stables in January 2025. In Tigery, the teams are testing the most advanced technical aspects: energy consumption, air resistance, cornering support, management of very high voltage current — between 800 and 900 volts.
These competitions also serve as veritable laboratories for manufacturers, who experiment with systems that are also destined to power the road cars of tomorrow.
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