MANILA: Porsche has officially extended its involvement in the ABB FIA Formula E open-wheel, fully electric racing series. As such, the Stuttgart-based sports car maker will return to the grid as the new Gen 4 cars are introduced. 

As shared by Formula E organizers Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) and Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the upcoming regulations for Gen 4 electric vehicles (EVs) will allow for the use of part-time all-wheel-drive. Porsche sees the latter as another avenue for further development that will eventually trickle down to its series of production models. 

Porsche's management sees its renewed commitment to Formula E as advantageous and a testament to its long-term dedication to the development of electric vehicle technology. This strategic decision aligns with the brand's vision for the future of mobility. 

“Right from the outset, we regarded our Formula E commitment as long-term. The evolution of racing vehicles shows how much development potential there is in e-mobility. Going forward, we want to glean even more knowledge from Formula E that we can transfer to our roadgoing sports cars,” Porsche AG Member of the Executive Board for Research and Development Michael Steiner said. 

Vice President of Porsche Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach further supported the sports car company’s continued participation in the all-electric racing series, claiming that motorsports such as Formula E creates a wealth of engineering knowledge that will improve the brand’s cars. 

“The knowledge from racing flows into our sports cars: motorsport engineers sit shoulder to shoulder with colleagues from road projects. After all, we don’t develop technology for the sake of technology - it must benefit our customers,” Laudenbach said. 

Porsche competes in its fifth ABB FIA Formula E Championship season. Flying the German brand’s flag in the racing series is the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team. US-based customer outfit Andretti Formula E likewise competes using the same car as the marque’s primary team. 

Both teams mentioned above use the Porsche 99X Electric, which currently follows Gen 3 vehicle guidelines. It is likewise interesting to note that the German automobile company’s 99X Electric race car was built at its Weissach research and development center, which operates under a CO2-neutral policy. The said center is also the same facility that birthed the Taycan EV. 

As mentioned above, ABB FIA promises Gen 4 will bring new technological innovations to the sport. Apart from part-time all-wheel-drive, the next-generation race cars will have as much as 804 horsepower and up to 700 kilowatts of power created via regenerative braking. As per the Formula E organizers, the EV racing series will adopt the more advanced Gen 4 cars by 2026 (seasons 13 to 16). 

Other brands that have pledged to continue racing in Formula E include Nissan. The Japanese brand previously shared that it will continue competing in the racing series until 2030.

Currently, Formula E is in its 10th season, which started in January 2024. The latter’s penultimate race will be a double-header finale in London from July 20 to 21, 2024. 

Photos from Porsche

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