MONACO: The future of all-electric high-performance motorsport, a third-generation race car produced with speed and sustainability in mind, has been unveiled by Formula E and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, or FIA.
The Gen3 is the world’s first race car designed and optimized specifically for street racing. It will debut in season nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship next year, which will see some of the world’s greatest manufacturers race wheel-to-wheel on the streets of iconic global cities.
The Gen3 race car was shown to the public at the Yacht Club de Monaco on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s Monaco E-Prix.
“Monaco is the spiritual home of motorsport and there is nowhere more fitting to unveil our Gen3 race car,” said Jamie Reigle, chief executive officer of Formula E. “The Gen3 disrupts and challenges the conventions of motorsport, setting the benchmark for performance, efficiency and sustainability without compromise.
“Together with the FIA, we are proud to reveal the Gen3 to Formula E fans and demonstrate to the wider sports industry how elite sport, high performance and sustainability can successfully co-exist in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship,” he added. “We cannot wait to see how our teams and drivers push the car to its limit in 2023.”
While aerodynamic development programs have been central to driving incremental improvement in motorsport for decades, the launch of the Gen3 demonstrates innovative software engineering. Performance upgrades to the Gen3 will be delivered as updates directly to the advanced operating system built into the car.
“Both technologically and environmentally, Gen3 sets new standards in the sport,” said Mohammed bin Sulayem, the FIA’s president. “The FIA and Formula E development teams have done a superb job, and I thank them for their hard work on this project. 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 nine with great anticipation.”
Seven of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers have registered with the FIA to race the new Gen3, with pre-season testing this winter. They are DS Automobiles (France), Jaguar (UK), Mahindra Racing (India), Maserati (Italy), NIO 333 (UK/China), Nissan (Japan), and Porsche (Germany).
Every aspect of Gen3 ensures the car sets the benchmark for high-performance and sustainable racing, with natural materials introduced to tires, batteries and bodywork construction. Gen3 batteries are among the most advanced in the world, consisting of sustainably sourced minerals while battery cells will later be reused and recycled.
Linen and recycled carbon fiber will be used in bodywork construction for the first time in a formula car which will reduce the carbon footprint of the production by more than 10 percent. Natural rubber and recycled fibers will make up 26 percent of new Gen3 tires, which are also fully recyclable after racing.
Alejandro Agag, founder and chairman of Formula E, said: “The Gen3 represents the ambitious third age of Formula E and the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. With every generation of race car we push the boundaries of possibility in EV technology further, and the Gen3 is our most ambitious project to date.
“The eyes of the world are on the Principality for the Monaco E-Prix and we are proud to reveal a car that (has) 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.”
