Revealing the GEN3 Evo Porsche 99X Electric: The new Formula E car for 2024/25

Sporting a fresh Purple Sky Metallic and Shade Green Metallic livery and with all-new features, the Porsche 99X Electric will feature the latest in electric technology in a bid to defend the drivers’ championship won by Pascal Wehrlein last season.

There hasn’t been this amount of positive anticipation about a new-look Formula E car for several seasons, as the GEN3 develops into the GEN3 Evo car, a machine capable of accelerating from a standing start to 100kph in under two seconds.

But the push of the all-electric powertrain is just one of a package of upgrades that will give an extra ‘wow’ factor for Formula E as it starts its 11th season in Sao Paulo, Brazil in early December.

The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team has been hard at work designing an enhanced powertrain and testing the new bodywork, active front powertrain and fresh Hankook tyres since the spring.

Both within the walls of its state-of-the-art technical base in Weissach and on circuits around Europe, Porsche is ensuring that reigning champion Wehrlein and team-mate António Félix da Costa are in the best position possible to add more success in the 2024-25 campaign.

Porsche’s development department has worked tirelessly for many months to optimise the successful 2024 powertrain package which took Wehrlein to a memorable title. The homologation of the manufacturer components is valid for two seasons once again.

“We build future sports cars, so we also want our appearance to be progressive,” said Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport.

“The young and innovative Formula E is an excellent platform for promoting our electric production sports cars. The preparation for the season thus far fills me with confidence that not only do we look good, but we can also build on the successes of last season.

“The bar has been set high: With Pascal as the World Champion, we are at the pinnacle of Porsche’s formula racing history to date.”

Here are the crucial new areas of the Porsche 99X Electric:

All-wheel drive (AWD)

This will be the first time that any Formula E car will run with a fully active all-wheel-drive function but it will only be available during qualifying duels, race starts, and the Attack Mode phases of the running.

It will enhance acceleration and control, elevating the already exciting racing moments, and adding another layer of competitiveness for drivers.

The technology will come via the spec front powertrain, which already ran in the first two GEN3 seasons albeit not activated for AWD.

It will mean that the Porsche 99X Electric will become the quickest accelerating FIA single-seater race car – Capable of 0-100kph in 2-seconds and is 30% faster than a current F1 car achieves.

One of the key challenges for the Porsche engineers and drivers will be adapting the car for 300kW non-AWD action and the full 350kW active-AWD configuration.

This will particularly test the driver, with António Félix da Costa saying that the change will be “one of the biggest and most exciting in recent seasons of Formula E.”

“The acceleration now is phenomenal and you physically feel it much more in the cockpit. It will be a game changer in some elements and the big jobs will be to change your style from the non-active and the active set-ups of the car when in 300kW and 350kW running,” added da Costa.

“With the new rubber too, it will be different to last season but the testing has gone well and we are now used to this new feeling. It’s going to be a lot of fun for us and also the fans out there.”

The AWD aspects will also contribute to additional learnings for the benefit of Porsche’s range of road cars for now and in the future.

New bodywork features

The GEN3 Evo cars will not only be faster and stronger but they will also be more agile – as performance upgrades will bring an estimated 2% performance gain on GEN3 lap times.

There will be an aesthetic upgrade too with an aggressive new body kit designed to be more robust and more aerodynamic, delivering closer wheel-to-wheel racing.

The front-wing in particular will be stronger and less susceptible to damage in the inevitable contact that occurs in the closest single-seater racing in the world.

Fresh rubber

The GEN3 Evo will have more grip from the vehicle dynamic standpoint as Hankook the tyre suppliers for the duration of the GEN3 period have been working on a new product.

The optimised all-weather Hankook iON tyres will see an increase of approximately 5-10% more in grip. Made from 35% recycled and sustainable materials (+9% vs GEN3 spec) the rubber will also have increased sustainability values as well.

There will be major challenges with these changes, which includes a subtly different construction to the tyre and some materials changing in the sidewall construction of the rubber.

These will revolve around managing them with the extra traction and acceleration of the AWD being used at various stages of the weekend.

New vibrant colours for 24/25 Season

The familiar red, black and white of the TAG-Heuer Porsche team will be replaced in the new season as a different approach to the aesthetics of the cars has been activated.

The fresh shades of colour will be resplendent on the Porsche 99X Electric cars this season as Purple Sky Metallic and Shade Green Metallic will become the familiar livery of the TAG-Heuer Porsche squad.

Symbolising the technology transfer from motorsport to production, the colour change also represents electrification and Porsche’s pioneering spirit, with the aims and objectives being to also express the company’s innovative strength visually in the FIA’s only all-electric world championship competition.