Formula E News: The new Porsche 99X Electric
Porsche has presented its Formula E car for the next two seasons: the new Porsche 99X Electric.
The all-electric open-wheel racer complies with the regulations for the updated third generation of Formula E cars, called GEN3 Evo, and features all-round improved Porsche in-house developments.
The new Porsche 99X Electric made its debut online on 24 October, in a film with Bruno Correia, the Formula E safety car driver and GEN3 Evo development driver. The key technical innovations comprise activation of the drive on the front wheels, higher grip tires, and a modified front wing.
World Champion Pascal Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa, last season’s driver with the most wins, retain their positions as the drivers for the works TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. The two Andretti Formula E customer cars will have former World Champion Jake Dennis and the new Porsche works driver Nico Müller at the wheel.
Refined Porsche in-house developments
The evolution model inherits Porsche’s most successful formula sports car to date: In its GEN3 version, the Porsche 99X Electric won the drivers’ world championship two years in a row – with Dennis in 2022/2023, and with Wehrlein in 2023/2024. The concept remains the same: Per the regulations, the available energy is restricted. This forces the teams and their drivers to optimize the efficiency of the cars across all areas.
Components developed by the manufacturer were allowed to be changed for the GEN3 Evo. Porsche’s development department in Weissach took the opportunity to exploit the optimization potential identified over the past two seasons – particularly in terms of drive. The homologation of the manufacturer components is valid for two seasons once again. The fourth car generation, GEN4, is set to be introduced for Season 13 (2026/2027).
New features – GEN3 Evo
The key technical innovations of the GEN3 Evo relate to the standardized hardware of all teams and manufacturers taking part.
From now on, front-wheel drive may be engaged in the qualifying duels, during race starts, and during Attack Mode. This gives the cars temporary all-wheel drive, enabling the Porsche 99X Electric to accelerate to 100 km/h in around two seconds. Making the engagement of front-wheel drive as efficient as possible represents another technical challenge, with the lessons learned also benefitting Porsche’s road cars.
Higher performance tires from exclusive supplier Hankook will help the Formula E cars reach even higher speeds in the new season. To reduce the footprint, each car will still only have two sets of tires available per race weekend (three sets for double headers). The tire profile makes the tires suitable for both dry and wet conditions.
The evolution model is primarily recognizable by its modified front wing. The new form should make it more stable, enabling it to withstand contact better. Further modifications to the cladding were made behind the roll bar and in front of the rear wheels.
Colors based on the product spearhead
Purple Sky Metallic and Shade Green Metallic – these are the new colors on the cladding of the Porsche 99X Electric. These were the colors that Porsche used to present the new spearhead of its electric sports cars for the road at the start of the year: the Taycan Turbo GT, the most powerful production car the brand has ever built.
The shades of purple and green replace the traditional combination of black, white and red. They symbolize the technology transfer from motorsport to production. The color change also represents electrification and Porsche’s pioneering spirit: The aim being to also visually express the company’s innovative strength in the progressive Formula E.