In a Formula E season as atypical as 2019/2020, marked by COVID-19, DS has once again risen with the final victory and the team title with a wide difference compared to its rivals. Jean-Éric Vergne (champion the previous two years) was succeeded this year by the Portuguese rider António Félix da Costa, who has won a well-deserved title by winning with almost double the points of his immediate pursuer.
DS Automobiles is also the only manufacturer to have won two Formula E titles so far in the team championship. To which there are two more in the pilots section. This supremacy in the competition of 100% electric single-seaters confirms that the French firm’s commitment to sustainable energy has been successful .
In 2015, when the second season of Formula E began, DS Automobiles announced its partnership with Virgin Racing to participate in the contest. It was then one of the first brands to opt for a new racing format with electric vehicles . The goal was to establish itself among premium manufacturers through a competition with shared values, such as sustainability and electrification. The team finished third in the first year thanks to their cars making it four times on the podium.
Victory in Formula E
The following season saw the consolidation of the team, with two victories and six podiums, and a year later DS Automobiles was third again after winning two GPs and being in the top five in more than half of the races.
In its fourth season, DS went from being a partner to becoming an official builder. The decision coincided with a technological and regulatory change that opened the way to a new generation of electric vehicles, more powerful and with more autonomy . Since 2018 DS Automobiles has manufactured its own powertrain, and has done so in association with the DS Techeetah structure . Together with them, the French firm has lived a true success story. Since he signed his association, no other team has been champion. In 2018-2019 DS Techeetah prevailed in a year in which nine different drivers achieved a victory and Jean-Éric Vergne managed to be crowned in the drivers section after achieving three victories.
Competing to improve on the street
Thanks to its participation in Formula E, DS has accumulated extensive knowledge and valuable experience in electric vehicles, information that it has applied to the models in its range and that has allowed it to accelerate the development of electrified versions. The result is DS’s E-TENSE range, which includes models such as the 100% electric DS 3 Crossback E-TENSE SUV. With 135 HP of power and up to 320 km of autonomy, it has a system that allows charging 80% of its battery in just half an hour.
Another option in the electrified range of the premium firm of the PSA Group is the DS 7 Crossback E-TENSE 4X4, a plug-in hybrid SUV with all-wheel drive with 300 hp of power and capable of traveling 57 km in electric mode. The next vehicle to join the company’s electric family will be the DS 9 saloon, which will shortly be on sale with only hybrid motorization. And it is that from 2025 all the new models of the French brand will only be electrified.
