Season 2 introduced the most significant structural change in the championship's early history: teams were permitted to develop their own powertrains. While the chassis remained the mandated Spark SRT 01E from the inaugural season, eight manufacturers were allowed to produce their own electric motor, inverter, gearbox, and cooling system. This opened Formula E to manufacturer competition for the first time, with Abt (working with Schaeffler), Andretti, Renault e.dams, Mahindra, NEXTEV, Trulli (with Motomatica), Venturi, and Virgin (with DS Automobiles) all developing unique powertrain packages.
The maximum race power was increased from 150 kW to 170 kW, while total energy consumption from the battery remained capped at 28 kWh. The car-swap format from Season 1 was retained.
Nine teams competed in Season 2 after Trulli withdrew following failures in scrutineering at the first two rounds. Notable driver changes included 1997 Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve joining Venturi, and Jean-Eric Vergne moving from Andretti to Virgin. Robin Frijns joined Andretti in Vergne's place. Nick Heidfeld moved from Virgin to Mahindra, replaced at Venturi by Villeneuve. Oliver Turvey joined NEXTEV TCR full-time.
Mid-season, Villeneuve left Venturi after a disagreement over team direction and was replaced by Mike Conway. António Felix da Costa missed one round for DTM commitments and was replaced by René Rast.
The season ran ten rounds, down from the planned eleven after the Moscow ePrix was cancelled mid-season due to unspecified issues with road closures. New venues included Mexico City — the first Formula E race on a permanent racing circuit — and Paris. The Miami ePrix was dropped after Season 1 and the Monaco ePrix did not appear, though it returned the following season.
Nelson Piquet Jr., the reigning champion, and Renault e.dams entered as defending champions but were displaced as the season's dominant forces. Sebastien Buemi, driving for Renault e.dams, built a consistent points lead through the first half of the season and entered the London finale with what appeared a decisive advantage. However, di Grassi had closed the gap and both title contenders crashed out on the opening lap of the final race. The championship was decided by fastest lap: Buemi set the benchmark, and without di Grassi scoring, the two-point margin held. Renault e.dams retained the Teams' Championship.
Season 2 established Formula E as a genuine manufacturers' championship, a shift that accelerated the series' prestige and commercial appeal. The powertrain development war introduced meaningful engineering differentiation between teams, ending the spec-car identity of Season 1 and setting the template for the series' subsequent growth. The controversial London finale — decided by a fastest-lap point after neither championship leader finished — highlighted the compressed drama of Formula E's format and generated significant media attention.