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The first Formula E race took place on the streets of Beijing in September of 2014. The idea for a racing series using battery-powered cars was the brainchild of Spanish businessman Alejandro Agog, who proposed the series in 2012 — the year the Tesla Model S was beginning to get the attention of the the automotive world.
Since its inception, the Formula E series has been mostly a spec series, meaning the design of the cars and most of their components needed to conform to the specifications set by the sp…
Support CleanTechnica’s work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.
The first Formula E race took place on the streets of Beijing in September of 2014. The idea for a racing series using battery-powered cars was the brainchild of Spanish businessman Alejandro Agog, who proposed the series in 2012 — the year the Tesla Model S was beginning to get the attention of the the automotive world.
Since its inception, the Formula E series has been mostly a spec series, meaning the design of the cars and most of their components needed to conform to the specifications set by the sport’s organizers. The intent of those rules was to keep the costs of competition low in order to attract teams to the new sport.
Formula 1 teams spend millions of dollars each year on actual and virtual wind tunnel testing, trying to eke out a 0.02 percent gain in aerodynamic efficiency so their cars will be more competitive on track. Agog saw that as a barrier to getting people to embrace electric car racing, so from the beginning, the actual chassis has been supplied to the teams by Formula E management with all the aero bits identical for all the cars.
Initially, the cars had such a limited amount of power that the races were restricted to 45 minutes in length and the drivers needed to pit once during the race to switch to a different race car in order to get to the end. To appeal to fans, the races were all held on city streets, the idea being that spectators could attend the races more easily. Street circuits typically have lower speeds than dedicated race tracks, which means the cars would use less energy than they would on conventional tracks.
The first year, many of the teams had names like Venturi and NextEV, but there were other names more familiar to racing fans, like Andretti. With interest in electric cars increasing, many of those who sat out the first few seasons decided to jump in. Racing improves the breed, so they say, and many manufacturers saw Formula E as a way to develop their prowess at building EVs. Fast forward ten years, and the teams now include some of the world’s best known automotive brands, including Nissan, Jaguar, Maserati, Cupra, McLaren, and DS, the parent company of Citroen.
Gen4 Formula E Car Revealed
For the 2026 season, the fourth generation Formula E car will feature several significant improvements, starting with a massive increase in power from 300 kW to 450 kW. The cars have always featured an Attack Mode that boosted power temporarily during the race. In the current cars, it raised power to 350 kW. In the Gen4 cars, that will be increased to 600 kW.
But there is much more to the new package. The cars will now be allowed to use both front and rear motors throughout the race. Previously, the front motor could only be used at the start of the race and while using Attack Mode. The battery capacity has been increased to 55 kWh — 43 percent more than in the Gen3 cars — and the cars can harvest as much as 700 kW of power using regenerative braking. In fact, up to 40 percent of electrical energy used during a race will be supplied by the regen system. Formula E says this will give teams more “race energy capacity,” leading to “bolder race strategies.”
The Gen4 is also designed to be “motorsport’s most sustainable race car.” Its construction uses 100 percent recyclable materials, with at least 20 percent recycled content. In terms of appearance, the new model looks more like a traditional single-seat open-wheel race car, as opposed to the sharply angular design of the Gen3. The front and rear wings are larger to improve aerodynamic performance and traction, helping all that extra power get put down to the pavement as efficiently as possible.
These are standardized components, which means the teams cannot develop their own designs. Formula E intends this to prevent excessive spending in wind tunnel testing for minimal aerodynamic gains, the competition said in a blog post announcing the next generation cars.
The Gen4 design was created jointly by Formula E and the FIA and is expected to be significantly faster than the current car. Formula E has not yet released official figures, as the prototype was tested with a pre-production powertrain. Manufacturers are free to design their own motors, inverters, and rear suspensions to extract the most performance.
A Decade Of Development
Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds said the teams will now unleash their in-house engineering prowess to extract the maximum performance from the package. “The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as the most relevant motorsport for automotive manufacturers. The GEN4 is far more than a race car. It represents over a decade of progress, innovation, and ambition in electric racing.
“Co-developed with the FIA, it stands as the most advanced, demanding, and sustainable machine we’ve ever built, redefining what’s possible in performance and environmental responsibility. With GEN4, Formula E strengthens its position as the world’s most forward-thinking sport and a true racing pioneer.” He anticipates that qualifying laps next season with the new car will be about 5 seconds a lap faster than previously.
Vincent Gaillardot, the Formula E technical manager at the FIA, said: “GEN4 is the most advanced Formula E single seater to date, with cutting-edge technology making it the fastest and most powerful electric racing car fans will ever have seen. With drivers able to deploy more than 815 hp in Attack Mode as well as permanent all wheel drive, enhanced aerodynamics, and greater grip levels from bigger tires, GEN4 slots in at the sharp end of the FIA’s single seater pyramid and will be one of the highest performance racing cars anywhere in the world.
“This has been achieved while reducing the restrictions on as many control system features as possible, for road relevancy purposes, carefully managing costs and meeting all development timelines. This has only been possible through close collaboration with our chassis, tire, battery, front powertrain and charging partners, and we thank all of them for their earnest efforts. We also thank our manufacturers for their commitment, and we will continue working closely together on the development with the two forthcoming combined tests.”
This clip from Citroen about the car is pretty cool and well worth your time if you have 1 minute and 15 seconds to spare.
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