The electric F4 by Mygale

The manufacturer Mygale, in partnership with a Spanish start-up, ran an electric F4 on the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit. A hybrid single-seater, developed with Alpine and Oreca, is also in the works.

Published on 11/07/2022 à 14:17

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Mygale has embarked on the development of an electric F4. ©Mygale Cars

Installed in the Technoparc of Magny-Cours (Nièvre), Mygale has built more than 1300 racing cars since its creation in 1989. Formulas Renault, Formula BMW, Peugeot Spider, but also Formula Ford, Formula US2000, Formula 3 and Formula 4. The Nivernais SME, which now has thirty employees, also supplies eight F4 championships around the world. Last June, Mygale expanded its reach by running an electric F4 on the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit. The car is developed with the Spanish start-up Play&Drive, responsible for the engine assembly. This program, launched almost two years ago, enabled the creation of a first prototype equipped with a 120 kW motor – around 160 HP – and a 220 kg battery.

At the wheel, driver Julien Gilbert completed six runs of 20 minutes (one lap leaving the pits, seven laps of driving, one lap returning to the pits) of the 4,4 km long track. Results: the car which had already completed a few laps on the MotorLand Aragon circuit (Spain) at the end of last year was at ease during the exercise. “ A thermal F4 runs on average in 1'39" / 1'40" at Magny-Cours, explains Bertrand Decoster, founder of Mygale. With the electric prototype, whose powertrain already complies with the FIA safety standards in force in Formula E, we are less than five seconds per lap. And we know the significant room for improvement. The objective of the second prototype that we will now develop, based on our F4 Gen2, is to run lap times close to 1'35 ».

This 2^e model, which is scheduled to roll out in 2023, will benefit from better integration of the engine assembly on the chassis and a redesigned monocoque so that the batteries and their structural protection box are housed in place of the tank of a Thermal F4. This will benefit the aerodynamics and the overall mass of the car, which should therefore lose 50 kg compared to the current prototype.

At the same time, Mygale is working on another program, in partnership with Alpine and Oreca, still based on its F4 Gen2. This time it is a car equipped with a low-voltage hybrid system. The runs intended to optimize and validate the system have just started. This hybridization should be operational by 2023.

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