Image: PorscheFormula E unveiled the Gen4 racing cars last November, which will compete in the electric racing series from the 2026/27 season. While the vehicle has been significantly updated in all areas, the familiar Formula E concept remains unchanged: the car itself, including the chassis and most suspension components, as well as the battery, is identical for all manufacturers and teams. Only the software, electric powertrain, rear electric motor, and rear suspension systems can be freely developed.With the 975 RSE, Porsche Motorsport has now revealed its interpretation of the new Gen4 regulations and has already taken the car to the track for initial test drives and photo shoots. The Gen4 vehicles are set to deliver ‘the biggest performance leap in electric motorsport to date.’While the Gen3 EVO vehicles temporarily featured all-wheel drive during qualifying and the so-called ‘Attack Mode’ (otherwise, the standardised front powertrain unit supplied to all teams was used for recuperation), the Gen4 racing cars will feature permanent all-wheel drive. The front unit, supplied by Lucid, remains at 250 kW, while the manufacturer-developed rear-axle powertrain has been upgraded to 350 kW – delivering a total system output of 600 kW or 816 hp. Image: Porsche Image: Porsche Image: Porsche Image: Porsche Image: PorscheAnother key development is that the new standardised chassis increases aerodynamic downforce in the racing cars. The Gen4 cars can accelerate faster than Formula 1 racing cars and reach speeds of over 300 km/h. “Within roughly a decade, Formula E has become so fast that aerodynamic downforce is now a necessity. However, downforce always comes with drag and increases energy consumption,” said Olivier Champenois, Technical Project Leader for Formula E at Porsche Motorsport. The solution: there will now be two aerodynamic packages: one with less downforce (and drag) for races, to maximise efficiency, and another with high downforce for qualifying, to demonstrate the maximum performance of the Gen4 cars.Interestingly, the power and efficiency of the powertrain played only a secondary role in the development of the 975 RSE for Porsche—the ‘old‘ 99X Electric already achieved a drivetrain efficiency of over ’97 per cent’. “As efficiencies approach perfection, other topics moved higher up the GEN4 development brief, including potential in terms of weight, durability and costs – similar to EVs for the road,” explained Champenois. “The 975 RSE produces 71 percent more peak power than its predecessor. At the same time, we were able to reduce the weight of many parts.”At the unveiling of the new 975 RSE, Porsche’s Head of Motorsport, Thomas Laudenbach, did not delve into technical details but instead reflected on the rapid development of Formula E since 2014. “When the championship started in 2014, every driver needed two cars per race. One battery alone was not enough to cover the full race distance. Those days are long gone,” said Laudenbach. “Since 2024, we have been developing a race car that puts us on the level of Formula 2 cars. EVs are not only catching up with the standards we are used to; their strengths are becoming increasingly evident – on the track and on the road.”Florian Modlinger, Overall Project Leader for Formula E at Porsche, adds: “The concept remains the same: the regulations force us to maximise the efficiency of our cars in every respect – because that makes us relevant for the road. The races should become even more attractive, as the new cars are considerably faster. The acceleration is impressive, and we expect top speeds of up to 335 km/h. I’m very curious to see how the fans will react.”porsche.com
