Battery fire in Valencia clouds pre-season Formula E test
Garages damaged after blaze that raises safety questions over Formula E batteries
There were further concerns of battery safety after a fire in Formula E testing
DPPI
Preparations for the new Formula E season got off to an alarming start when a garage fire sparked by one of the Gen3 batteries disrupted testing in Valencia.
The blaze broke out in the garage of supplier WAE after it had removed the battery in a DS Penske entry. No one was injured, but the neighbouring garage used by Mahindra also incurred damage, leaving the team – which has signed ex-champion Nyck de Vries – to run just one car for the rest of the test.
A rapid investigation by the FIA and WAE ruled that running was safe to resume. But the episode leaves a further question mark over EV battery safety in the same year the World Rallycross Championship was forced to abandon its new electric-powered premier class following an inferno at Lydden Hill.
Works Jaguar duo Mitch Evans and new team-mate Nick Cassidy set the pace in Valencia. The first round of the 2024 season takes place in Mexico City on January 13.