Formula E has revealed its new Gen3 car ahead of this weekend's Monaco E-Prix, a car set to make its debut in the championship's ninth season.
The Gen3 car is designed to be smaller, lighter and faster than the current Gen2 design to enable "faster, more agile wheel-to-wheel racing", but has been reportedly beset with setbacks - next season's calendar has already been pushed back by seven weeks to provide extra testing time.
The appearance is said to be inspired by the aerodynamic delta wing of a fighter jet - in contrast to the aim of the Gen2 design to create a Batmobile-esque racing car.
The car is lighter and significantly smaller than its predecessor, with a wheelbase over 130mm shorter.
It is set to be the world's most efficient single seater, with powertrains connected to both the front axle and the rear axle for the first time. This should allow more than double the current regenerative capacity to be utilised on track.
There will be no hydraulic brakes required at the rear, due to the inclusion of the regenerative braking from the front powertrain. Therefore controlling the car's balance when 250kW is deployed to the front wheels, and understanding how this impacts tyre management will be another added factor.
Brand new underpinnings, spearheaded by a new electric motor, will deliver a maximum power output of 470BHP/350kW (100kW more than the Gen2 could provide), and capable of an impressive top speed of 200mph (vs the 174mph top speed at present).
Performance upgrades will be delivered as software updates directly to the advanced operating system built into the car.
According to Formula E, Gen3 is the first single seater designed according to "life cycle thinking" principles, with the tyres, batteries and bodywork all designed to be easily recyclable through processes learned from the aviation and aerospace industries.
In addition, natural materials have been introduced to the tyres, batteries and bodywork construction. The Gen3 is also net-zero carbon, as is the championship itself since its inception in 2014.
The sporting format is set to utilise some form of fast charging too, with an "ultra-high speed charging capability" of 600kW available during a race, almost double the power of the most advanced commercial chargers in the world.
Seven manufacturers are already committed to the championship's new era. They are Mahindra, DS Automobiles, Nissan, Porsche, Nio 333 Racing, Jaguar and Maserati. McLaren are thought to be amidst talks to purchase the Mercedes-EQ entry, with the German manufacturer confirmed as exiting the series at the end of this season.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem stated: “Both technologically and environmentally, Gen3 sets new standards in the sport... I am delighted to see so many leading manufacturers already signed up to the championship’s next era and await Gen3’s competitive debut in Season 9 with great anticipation.”
Alejandro Agag, Founder and Chairman of Formula E said: "The eyes of the world are on the Principality for the Monaco E-Prix and we are proud to reveal a car that been two years in the making in the historic home of motorsport.
"My thanks go to the great team behind it at Formula E and the FIA - the future of all electric racing is bright.”
