DS Automobiles, a Stellantis brand, has unveiled the E-TENSE PERFORMANCE prototype as a high-performance testbed for coming DS production designs.

Since its launch in 2014, DS Automobiles has put electrification at the heart of its strategy. As the first premium manufacturer to be involved in Formula E, the brand has taken advantage of its success in the 100% electric championship to support its research and development into more sustainable mobility. Since 2019, DS Automobiles has been showcasing a 100% electric range to become—from 2020—the multi-energy brand with the lowest CO₂ emissions in Europe. From 2024, every new DS Automobiles design will be only 100% electric.

To maintain a leading position in the electrification market, DS Automobiles draws on the expertise of DS PERFORMANCE, its competition division, with the development of a prototype aimed at testing different innovations to build into the brand’s next designs.

Our objective is to apply the experience acquired in Formula E and the expertise that we’ve taken from our international titles to a project which predicts the high-performance electric car of tomorrow. It is a laboratory that we will use to analyse the behavior of components and to develop them with a view to future manufacturing. The idea is also to find solutions to lower costs, make them easier to manufacture and explore implementations in production models. The next generations of the E-TENSE range will benefit from these developments.

—Thomas Chevaucher, DS PERFORMANCE Director

DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE introduces a carbon monocoque with drivetrain taken from a Formula E single-seater. The suspension geometry is able to guarantee the best possible grip on roads, such as on often-bumpy urban race tracks, and in any weather conditions.

The powertrain comprises two electric motors giving a combined power of 600 kW (250 kW at the front and 350 kW at the back) corresponding to 815 hp and torque of 8,000 N·m at the wheels. Taken straight from DS PERFORMANCE developments for Formula E, these two electric motors display exceptional returns.

With regeneration capacity of 600 kW, the DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE powertrain prioritizes the best use of energy. If, physically, DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE keeps a braking system with discs and pads for safety, only the regeneration system is used for braking.

The battery is one of the fundamental parts of the very high-performance DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE laboratory. It is compact and housed in a carbon-aluminum composite envelope designed by DS PERFORMANCE. This is in a central rear position for optimum weight distribution.

The DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE’s battery was inspired by electric car racing and developed jointly with TotalEnergies and its subsidiary Saft. The result of research by this partner, it hides an innovative chemistry and an immersive cooling system for cells using a bespoke design of Quartz EV Fluid solution. This battery permits phases of acceleration and regeneration of up to 600 kW and enables the exploration of new avenues for future generations of production vehicles.

From February 2022, the DS PERFORMANCE team is organizing the first tests with DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE. Jean-Éric Vergne, E-TENSE ambassador, and Antonio Felix da Costa, both Formula E champions, will take turns at the wheel of the prototype to finalize its development, before beginning tests on tracks and open roads. The real performance data from DS E-TENSE PERFORMANCE will then be revealed.