Nissan acquires e.dams Formula E race team

Nissan has taken full ownership of the e.dams race team in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

The Japanese automotive marque said that the Le Mans-headquartered team will continue to race as planned in Season 8.

The brand’s participation in Formula E is part of its long-term commitment under the Nissan Ambition 2030. “This acquisition is therefore a natural step for the Japanese OEM to take full control of its Formula E project,” the company explained.

The automaker entered the series in 2018 in partnership with e.dams. Nissan announced its commitment to the Formula E Gen3 era in March last year, which will run from Season 9 (2022/23) until the end of Season 12 (2025/26).

Following the change in ownership, Nissan Formula E General Manager Tommaso Volpe will also become the e.dams managing director.

“These are exciting times for all of us at Nissan, our fans and customers everywhere,” Nissan Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta was quoted as saying.

 “We have been on the grid for over 85 years, and our desire to win continuously accelerates us forward. We learn as we race, and the relentless pace of technological progression that drives the Formula E championship will provide us with many opportunities to inform and develop even better cars for customers,” he added.

Gupta also said that aside from reconfirming its commitment to Formula E, the e.dams acquisition also boosts its passion to the "exciting, high-performance world of motorsports competition."

“But we don’t only love to compete. We’re also passionate about delivering innovative and exciting driving experiences while demonstrating our commitment to zero emission and sustainable solutions. This acquisition will further empower us in the strategic electrification objectives of our business,” he explained.

For his part, Volpe considered the takeover as an important step for Nissan’s Formula E project.

“As the pinnacle of all-electric racing, Formula E gives us an engaging global platform from which we can show customers that EVs are not only fun and thrilling, but also that Nissan continues to be at the cutting edge of EV technology,” he noted.

“We were happy to enter the sport in 2018 in partnership with e.dams. We have had a strong and successful collaboration, and we have learnt a great deal from their long-term experience in the series. We have a fantastic team in place, and we are looking forward to building on our success and experience together as a team, and to beginning this new chapter in our Formula E involvement.”

Meanwhile, Olivier and Grégory Driot said that they are proud to hand over the e.dams team to such a committed and innovative company as Nissan. “We’ve had several open discussions in recent months with Nissan and we decided that it was the right time for them to take the reins and continue the legacy of our family and secure the long-term future of the employees,” the two were quoted in a statement.

“Since the passing of our father, it’s been an honor for us to partner with a global brand such as Nissan in Formula E and we are proud of what we have achieved together. We would like to thank all the e.dams staff for their hard work and commitment over the years and we wish Nissan all the very best for the remainder of Season 8 and beyond.”

Photos from Nissan

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