Andre Lotterer will partner Jean-Eric Vergne at Techeetah for the 2017-18 season after making the switch from LMP1.
The German will make his debut in the all-electric series after Porsche decided to cease their LMP1 entry in the WEC, although the three times Le Man champion said that he was looking to “keep a foot in endurance racing whatever happens”.
He replaces Stephane Sarrazin, who despite having a strong finish to last season will now struggle to find a place on the grid with few other seats remaining.
Speaking after the announcement, Lotterer said “I am honoured and proud to join Techeetah to make my Formula E debut.
“Techeetah made a very big impression last season beating a number of manufacturer teams, and I am looking forward to working with ‘JEV’ and everyone in the team to start this new chapter in my racing career.”
He went on to tell Autosport that his preparations for adapting to Formula E had already begun.
While Formula E cars have a fraction of the horsepower of an LMP1 car, Lotterer said he was pleasantly surprised by the challenge of energy management.
He said, “I’ve been on a simulator and was positively surprised: it was very interesting how you have to manage the energy – you have to be very smart about it,” he said.
“The cars don’t have 1000bhp, but FE still looks very challenging on the tracks that they race on.
“What it doesn’t offer in terms of speed, it offers in competition with a lot of top drivers. It is an exciting platform with a lot of new manufacturers coming, so the level is only going to get higher.”
Speaking about his new driver pairing, Techeetah Managing Director Ivan Yim said that with Lotterer’s experience it was now one of the strongest on the grid.
“Jean-Eric Vergne and Andre Lotterer will form one of the strongest driver line ups in Formula E,” Yim said.
“I’m sure our two drivers will push each other to new levels of performance. Andre’s track record and experience with some of motorsport’s most significant factory teams, brings immense value as we push our own development in both the medium and long-term.”
“TECHEETAH scored the most points of any team in the last four races in season 3. We hope to continue this upward trajectory in the coming season with Andre and Jean-Eric. That’s the plan”