With the Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Porsche heads into a new era of Formula E. The electric racing car, which underwent an evolution in the Porsche Development Centre in Weissach, celebrated its world premiere in the Porsche Experience Center in Franciacorta, Italy. It will be fielded by the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from the 2023 season.
The Mexico City E-Prix on January 14, 2023 will be the first race for the Porsche 99X Electric Gen3. The arrival of the third vehicle generation at the start of next season heralds a new era for the world’s first electric racing series.
The new Gen3 cars such as the Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 are the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric racing cars ever built. They have been specifically designed for gripping wheel-to-wheel duels on tight city circuits in fascinating major cities of the world where Formula E traditionally contests its races.
The overall concept of the Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 and the other vehicles of the new Formula E generation constitute a major evolutionary step. The vehicles have shed weight and feature a shorter wheelbase and narrower track. While the battery has shrunk in size, it is more powerful. The proportion of recuperative energy has grown. The aerodynamics and design have also undergone modifications. All in all, the new vehicles are more agile, which also improves performance on the racetrack.
The striking new look of the Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 was inspired by the Porsche brand purpose “Driven by Dreams.” It signifies individuality, uniqueness and a future-oriented progressive zeitgeist that also appeals to a younger target group.
The third Formula E generation: Setting new benchmarks in motorsport
The intention behind campaigning the new Gen3 cars is to set new benchmarks in motorsport in terms of performance, efficiency and sustainability. That is the goal stated by the world automobile association FIA and Formula E. For its fourth season in Formula E, Porsche has developed the new Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, which distinguishes itself from previous vehicles in many areas.
The performance of the new Gen3 vehicles increases from 250 to 350 kW (476 hp). Developed in-house by Porsche Motorsport with a maximum drive power of 350 kW on the rear axle — 100 kW more than the predecessor. The new front powertrain adds 250 kW to the 350 kW at the rear, resulting in energy recovery with an output of up to 600 kW, the electric motor achieves about 95 percent power efficiency compared to around 40 percent for an internal combustion engine.
Over 40 percent of the energy used is recuperated via regenerative braking. Furthermore, The new ultra-high-speed charging capacity of the Gen3 vehicles should add around 600kW of energy during the race. This means that the chargers of the new Formula E generation would be almost twice as powerful as the world’s most advanced commercial chargers.
The battery cells in the new Gen3 cars are also made from sustainably sourced minerals. After every race season, the battery cells should be reused or recycled. For the construction of the carbon fibre bodywork, the manufacturer states that recycled carbon fibre is used from retired Gen2 vehicles. This should reduce the carbon footprint of production by more than ten percent.
Porsche in Formula E
With a one-two result thanks to Pascal Wehrlein and André Lotterer in the Porsche 99X Electric, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team celebrated its greatest success to date in Mexico on 12 February 2022. In 2023, the team contests its fourth season in the world’s first all-electric racing series with the new Porsche 99X Electric Gen3.
As an accelerator for innovative and sustainable mobility technologies, Formula E has brought thrilling motorsport to people living in major cities since 2014. With the all-electric Taycan Turbo S, Porsche again supplies the official safety car in 2023, and thus underlines the importance of Formula E for Porsche Motorsport.