Hewland transmissions developed in partnership with McLaren and used by all Formula E teams this season will likely still be legal in the second year, says a company spokesperson, although Hewland is thought to be developing a second season unit, too.

There will be eight new manufacturers for the second season, who are permitted to develop electric motors, control electronics (inverters), associated cooling systems and gearboxes. In the first year, all teams had to use the drivetrain provided them by McLaren, which included the electric motor from the P1 and a gearbox from Hewland.

But being allowed to build all drivetrain components and actually building them isn’t the same thing. Manufacturers may be more selective with where they spend their limited time and budgets, focusing instead on where the biggest gains are to be made, which many see as the motor (and the battery, but that option won’t be unlocked until season three).

There are also at least two teams not linked to manufacturers in today’s news, who will need to use kit from somewhere. That may mean that the powertrain in use this season continues to be used next year too.

“We hope to be strongly involved next year, though we can’t say with whom we’re working most closely,” a Hewland spokesperson told us earlier. “As far as my understanding goes, I think the existing gearbox will still be legal as part of the Spark chassis next year, and Spark has to make the chassis available for three years. A number of teams are exploring different solutions and they are allowed to change the gearbox. There might be some requirement for bespoke gearboxes [from Hewland]. I’m sure all the teams have different ideas about what makes a fast car. But we think we’re about two years ahead of our competitors with this McLaren gearbox.”