Audi has been showing a lot of interest in electric motorsports over the last year – going as far as quitting Le Mans to focus on all-electric Formula E.

They have been increasing their involvement with the ABT Sportsline team and today, they announced that they are officially taking over the team’s slot.

Dr. Peter Mertens, Member of the Board of Management, Technical Development, AUDI AG, made the announcement:

“We’ve been supporting the Formula E commitment with increasing intensity in recent months – on the race days, in the development of the new powertrain and in numerous off-track activities as well. That Audi will be the first German automobile manufacturer to be actively involved in the racing series starting next season is also a clear commitment of our brand to electric mobility, on the race track as of December and next year on the road as well with the new Audi e-tron.”

Over the last few years, several serious automotive companies, like Renault, Citroen, Mahindra, and Jaguar, and a few newcomers like NextEV/Nio and Faraday Future, have also joined the series.

While it looks like Audi will indeed be the first German automaker to join the all-electric racing championship, BMW announced plans to enter the Formula E in season 5.

But Audi is taking over the slot for season 4, which starts in Hong Kong in December. The current season is also not over and going to New York next week.

Season 5 should also be more interesting though since the teams will be able to develop their own powertrain. They will still all use the same chassis, but it will also be a new on. Spark Racing Technologies, the engineering firm behind the new chassis, recently released the first images of the concept for the next-gen all-electric race car.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.