While the pre-season tests are being carried out in Valencia for its eighth season, Formula E released some details of the new car that will be put on track from the ninth. The Gen3 , as the new generation electric car has been called, will arrive with big changes compared to the model that is currently used. These modifications correspond to both the design and mechanical sections, but with one objective in mind: efficiency.
According to the directors of Formula E and the FIA, the Gen3 will be the most efficient racing car in the world . This is due to the incorporation of a few novelties that have been advanced to the participating teams of the category in the last hours. While it is true that manufacturers will begin receiving the cars during the spring of 2022, they are already catching up with the innovations in the portfolio. There are no official photos of the vehicle yet, but it will be a matter of time until the mystery is over.
Compared to the Gen2 used today by Formula E, the new generation model will be the first formula car that will not have rear hydraulic brakes . This is because the Gen3 will incorporate two engines, one of 350 kW in the rear, and one of 250 kW in the front; thus, it will provide a regenerative capacity of 600 kW, which represents more than double what the current versions can offer. In fact, from the division they assure that 40% of the energy used during the races will be regenerated during braking .
And with the increase in the power of the electric motor from the current 250 kW to 350 kW (about 470 horsepower, approximately), the Formula E will reach a maximum speed of 320 km / h from of the 2022/2023 season. In addition, those in charge of the electric car category say that the Gen3's power-to-weight ratio is twice as efficient as that of a car with an equivalent internal combustion engine.
Formula E wants to kick the board with the Gen3
The Formula E Gen3 have not yet been seen publicly | Image: Formula E As we said previously, not all the changes prepared for 2023 are exclusively related to the mechanical part. The Formula E Gen3 will be smaller and lighter than the current version . The new car will be 7 centimeters narrower than the Gen2 (1.7 versus 1.77 meters wide), and 16 centimeters shorter (5 versus 5.16 meters long). Its weight will be 780 kilograms with the pilot included, against the current 900 kg.
Taking into account that the category competes on narrow circuits – streets, mostly -, the reduction in the size of the single-seaters aims to generate more battles and overshoots, and a higher speed.
In addition, it was announced that carbon fiber parts that break from the bodies during races will be recycled. For this, a reuse system developed by the aeronautical and aerospace industries will be implemented; Thus, a new purpose can be found for the parties in question. But this is not all, since 26% of the compound used for the tires will be made of sustainable materials .
With this new version of its cars, Formula E wants to give a new blow to the category. Despite the withdrawal of important official teams such as BMW and Audi for the eighth season, and with the certainty that Mercedes – the current champion under the hands of Nyck De Vries – will not participate in the ninth, the engineers do not skimp on innovation. After all, a lot of progress has been made in these years to overcome obstacles; Let's not forget that in the first seasons, for example, drivers had to change cars in the middle of a race.
Jean Todt, the president of the FIA, assures that the Gen3 is “a car created at the intersection of high performance, efficiency and sustainability” . The next Formula E season, still with the Gen2, will begin in January in Saudi Arabia, and will end in August in South Korea.
