Williams Advanced Engineering was awarded the prize for its work in creating the batteries that are currently powering the cars racing in Formula E, the world’s first fully electric racing series. The company also was awarded the Simms Medal for 2015 in October by the Royal Automobile Club for its work on the Formula E battery.

Fundamental requirements for the battery were a 200kg cell weight limit, a 1000V maximum allowed bus voltage, a 200kW peak power limit and maximum usable energy of 28kWh.

The Formula E battery had to be designed from scratch within an aggressive 12-month timeframe, fit into a strictly pre-determined safety cell, cool sufficiently, be 100% consistent from one team to the next (40 race cars plus spares), and last an entire season with no loss of power or performance.

The batteries showed remarkable reliability in the inaugural Formula E season, with only one failure in 440 race starts. The batteries are currently powering the cars in the second season of the Championship, with the next round taking place in Uruguay on 19 December.