BMW to Exit Formula E

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HaydenFan69
Hot on the heels of fellow German automaker Audi, BMW will also exit the all-electric single seater series at the end of the current season.

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I understood VW consolidating to one factory supported effort, but this BMW withdrawal is a bit more shocking. Especially as they are not seemingly reallocating those effort towards other EV motorsport as marketing proof of concepts for.
 
“As a partner from the word go, BMW has been instrumental in the success story of Formula E. However, when it comes to the development of e-drivetrains, BMW Group has essentially exhausted the opportunities for this form of technology transfer in the competitive environment of Formula E. As the strategic focus of BMW Group is shifting within the field of e-mobility, we will now concentrate on a model offensive and series production in large quantities with the fifth generation BMW E-drives.”
This seems to be a growing trend among carmakers now: "Now that we know how to make electric-powered things semi-cheaply on a large scale, we're going to throw in our lot for the smaller stuff that's been dominated by specialty companies for the last few decades". Toyota announced they were doing just this a couple months ago. Not too surprising that the beancounters would decide the money being used for motorsports is better served there instead.
 
Add this ^ to the fact that it costs 30-60 mio € per year for them and Formula e is not really present in the public i can totally understand this move and wouldnt be surprised if more are to follow
 
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