Development of the all-new GEN4 Formula E car is well underway, with Porsche Motorsport hitting the track for the first time ahead of its introduction next season.
Testing began in November, and by mid-January, the GEN4 Porsche had already completed 1,472 test kilometres on the circuits of Monteblanco and Almería in Spain.
With 600 kW (816 PS) of power, permanent all-wheel drive, new tyres and significantly increased downforce, the new car delivers the biggest performance leap seen in the championship to date.
The GEN4 car - built to the
It has a greater focus on Porsche in-house developments than ever before, designed to be lighter, deliver higher performance and reduce costs at the same time.
Porsche factory driver
“Because we have become so efficient over the years, we can finally afford the additional drag. I think GEN4 will be a real eye-opener for many people out there. Now it’s about fine-tuning our package as much as possible.
“I’m glad that Nico and I can carry out the test work. That allows us to tailor the GEN4 very well to us as regular drivers.”
Team-mate
“How the car accelerates, how it brakes, how aggressively you can drive when trying to extract a bit more lap time: taken together, it reminds me of the supercars in rallycross.
“The sporting regulations for the new era have not yet been defined, but purely from a technical perspective, the racing is set to change significantly. I’m curious and very much looking forward to the next phase of testing.”
Until October, Porsche Motorsport will continue to develop what is its most extensive hardware package for Formula E to date. Thereafter, the focus will shift to the optimisation of the software.
Porsche’s in-house developments to date already include the operating software, pulse inverter, electric motor, gearbox, differential, drive shafts and other drivetrain components on the rear axle, as well as cooling, carrier and suspension components at the rear.
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E, said: “With the current car, the efficiency of our drivetrain is over 97%. From the battery to the wheel, less than 3% of the energy used is lost – close to perfection and a key advantage of electric drive.
“In our development brief for GEN4, alongside further efficiency gains in the drivetrain components, we focused on potential in terms of weight, durability and costs – similar to EVs for the road.
“At the same time, 600 kW represents a 71% increase in power in Attack Mode. Overall, I believe it is fair to speak of a revolution. Seeing the car on track for the first time with its acceleration was a real pleasure. My thanks go to the development team in Flacht for this milestone in the project.”
He added: “The concept phase began in 2024. In the same year, we moved into simulator work. The project therefore started during Season 10, when we were still racing the predecessor of the current GEN3 Evo, the GEN3.
“At the time, we fought for all three titles right to the end, secured the Drivers’ Championship with Pascal – and at the same time developed the GEN3 Evo. We work in an agile way, similar to series-production projects: you run the existing vehicle, bring the facelift to market and already design the next generation.
“The difference is that our cycles are shorter and our budgets smaller – with maximum pressure to succeed. After all, we are contesting an FIA World Championship for Porsche.”
In the early test phase, work on the development car focuses on reliable operation and the interaction of all components, but gradually, the emphasis shifts towards performance.
Due to the strictly limited number of test days in Formula E, some findings are validated in the simulator.
Porsche customer team Andretti is also testing the new car before the FIA homologates the specification in the autumn.
