Pune: Formula E and the world motorsports governing body, FIA, on Wednesday presented before the world the first look at the fully-electric next generation car to be used from Season 5 with a promise that the physical car will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on March 6.
The first digital images of the Gen 2 car shows striking futuristic new design for the electric street racing series.
The car will make its competitive debut for the 2018-19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship, and will be used for the next three seasons.
The car visibly represents a new era for Formula E and further distinguishes the series from other categories in motorsport.
This is the first car ever to be created by the governing body for motorsport, with the FIA bringing together the world’s leading designers and engineers to work on the concept. The common package of specification parts will be homologated and built by the competing manufacturers to house their own bespoke powertrain.
The new car demonstrates a step-up in performance from the current iteration with almost double the energy storage capacity and double the range, meaning the teams and drivers will complete a full race distance at higher speeds without making a mid-race car swap.
The Gen2 car is clear proof of the advancements in battery and electric motor technology achieved in the space of only four years.
“These are very exciting times for Formula E. Today we show for the first time the design of the next generation car, and I’m sure that everyone will be very excited by how futuristic and advanced it is. I’m very proud that the FIA has been at the forefront of this car’s development, it’s something new for the Federation, and the project has been a huge success,” said FIA President Jean Todt.
“I can’t wait to take the covers off the real car when it will be seen for the first time in Geneva on March 6.”
“This car represents the future of racing. When we started Formula E, our goal was to break the mould and challenge the status quo—bringing a revolution to motorsport. This next generation car represents that revolution. Together with the FIA, we’ve achieved a great milestone with the introduction of this car and I can’t wait to see it on track,” said Alejandro Agag, Founder & CEO of Formula E.
The cars will be faster and will have almost double the amount of energy storage capacity and double the range, demonstrating the continuous evolution of battery technology.
— Alejandro Agag
(Founder & CEO of Formula E)
FIA Formula E championship Factbox
- Formula E brings electrifying wheel-towheel action to some of the world’s leading cities, racing against the backdrop of iconic skylines such as New York, Hong Kong, Paris and Rome.
- The inaugural season of Formula E sparked into life in September 2014 around the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing.
- Formula E is more than just a race to be the best - it’s a competitive platform to test and develop roadrelevant technologies, helping refine the design and functionality of electric vehicle components and speeding-up the transition and uptake of clean transportation on a global scale.
- For this season, more manufacturers have joined the electric revolution with reigning champion Lucas di Grassi looking to defend his title behind the wheel of the Audi-backed ABT Schaeffler team.
- More big-name manufacturers have also committed to race in Formula E - including BMW and Nissan in tandem with the new-look car and battery in season five, along with Mercedes-Benz and Porsche who also plan to join the following year.
