Formula E has taken the wraps off its revamped Gen3 Evo race car, claimed to be the fastest accelerating FIA single-seater with a 0-100kph time of 1.86secs. The update also introduces all-wheel drive, new tyres and sturdier bodywork.
- Formula E claims 0-100kph time of 1.86secs
- Update introduces all-wheel drive, new tyres
- Will be introduced for 2025 season
Gen3 Evo is meant to be an interim update between the current Gen3 cars and the Gen4, which will be introduced for the 2026/27 season. Speaking to Autocar India, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds said that the aim of the update is to deliver “faster performing cars on track, more technology to be able to transfer [to road cars] and this continued journey of sustainability”.
Of course, the headlining figure is a 0-100kph time of 1.86secs (0-60mph in 1.82secs), which is claimed to be 30 percent quicker than a current F1 car and 36 percent quicker than the Gen3 car. For reference, F1 cars can accelerate from 0-60mph in roughly 2.6secs. Formula E says all the upgrades should deliver a 2 percent performance gain, so a qualifying lap time around the Monaco circuit would roughly be 2secs faster.
“We’re growing very quickly. But in motorsport, the thing that captures attention the most is speed,” explains Dodds. “When we go out and tell people that the acceleration of this car is 30 percent faster than the current F1 car, I think that will capture the interest of sports fans around the world. And I hope people come and look at the racing for the first time, see how competitive and exciting it is, and choose to stick around.
All-wheel drive, new tyres
The update also unlocks all-wheel drive for the first time in Formula E, but this will only be available to use during qualifying duels, race starts and Attack Mode. Formula E is hoping this addition will enhance “both performance and strategy”.
The all-weather Hankook tyres have also been revised to provide 5-10 percent more grip. And they will also be made from 35 percent recycled and sustainable materials (up nine percent compared to the current Gen3 tyres).
The combination of these two should significantly alter driving dynamics. “All-wheel drive will require drivers to test it. I think they will get around that quite quickly because they’re some of the best drivers in the world,” said Dodds. “But the other thing that changes is the tyre and we know historically with racing drivers that it is often tyres and tyre changes that take longest for them to get used to because the performance is completely different.”
Since the introduction of the Gen3 cars, drivers have struggled to convert their Attack Mode boosts into overtaking moves. The combination of all-wheel drive and better grip should, in theory, help solve this issue to some extent.
More robust bodykit
The Gen3 Evo car also gets a new front wing, new rear winglets and a narrower nose. Formula E says the updated body kit has been designed to be “stronger, more robust and more aerodynamic”.
These cars will now be tested in Valencia later this year before being introduced for the 2025 season.
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