The new Porsche 99X Electric debuted 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 doubleheaders). 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 is to also visually express the company’s innovative strength in the progressive Formula E.
Next up
The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team and Andretti Formula E will take part in Formula E’s official pre-season testing in Valencia, Spain (4 to 7 November). In addition to Wehrlein and da Costa, the two female drivers Gabriela Jílková and Marta García from Czechia and Spain will be taking the wheel of the two works Porsches in Valencia.
Quotes from the world premiere
Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport: “We build future sports cars, so we also want our appearance to be progressive. The young and innovative Formula E is an excellent platform for promoting our electric production sports cars. The preparation for the season thus far fills me with confidence that not only do we look good, but we can also build on the successes of last season. The bar has been set high: With Pascal as the World Champion, we are at the pinnacle of Porsche’s formula racing history to date.”
Thomas Laudenbach
Florian Modlinger, Director Factory Motorsport Formula E: “The biggest development task was and is the implementation of the temporary all-wheel drive. Since the hardware was already available for GEN3, a huge amount of work has gone into aligning the software. On the one hand we want to maximize acceleration and cornering speeds with the all-wheel drive. On the other hand, the goal is to not consume too much energy and to keep the car balance to the liking of the drivers. A task that is also relevant for our sports cars for the road.”
Florian Modlinger
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#1): “The new Porsche 99X Electric is a very cool car. I love the colours so much that I designed my helmet the same way. It also goes without saying that I am proud to now have number 1 on the nose of my car. I want to defend my title and the preparations for the new season are going according to plan.”
Pascal Wehrlein
António Félix da Costa, Porsche works driver (#13): “We are excited to see where we are at. The all-wheel drive, the new tyres, and the comprehensive overhaul of our own components may shake things up a bit, even though there aren’t any major changes to the regulations. I’m optimistic and am pleased that we will be lining up in São Paulo again at the beginning of December. Hopefully the fans will love our new colours.”
Technical data – Porsche 99X Electric (GEN3 Evo)
Drive power
- Normal operation: 300 kW (408 hp)
- Attack Mode, qualifying duels: 350 kW (476 hp)
Power transmission
- Normal operation: rear
- Attack Mode, qualifying duels, race starts: all-wheel drive
Acceleration
- 0–100 km/h: approx. 2.0 s
Energy recovery
- Up to 600 kW recuperation power (brake energy recovery)
- Approx. 50 % of the drive energy per race comes from brake energy recovery
Brakes
- Regenerative braking system: up to 250 kW electric braking power on the front axle, up to 350 kW on the rear axle
- Additional deceleration through friction brakes on the front axle (“Brake by Wire” system)
- Front brake disc outer diameter: 258 mm
- Friction brakes on the rear axle only active in an emergency (if recuperation fails)
Tires
- Profiled Hankook iON Race for dry and wet conditions
- 2 sets per race weekend and per vehicle (3 for double headers)
Lithium-ion battery
- Supplied standard component
- Usable storage capacity: 38.5 kWh
- Weight: 285 kg
CCS charging system (Combined Charging System)
- Designed for extremely fast charging with up to 600 kW charging power
Weight and dimensions
- Weight: 862 kg including driver
- Length: 5016 mm, width: 1700 mm, height: 1023 mm
- Wheelbase: 2970 mm
- Ground clearance: up to 65 mm
- Front track: 1440 mm
- Rear track: 1380 mm
Porsche in the Formula E
Porsche contests its sixth Formula E season in 2024/2025. In addition to the works-run TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, the American customer outfit Andretti Formula E competes with the Porsche 99X Electric. The concept of the innovative electric racing car was developed at the company’s Weissach facility, which operates on a net carbon-neutral basis. With its commitment to the world championship, Porsche underlines its commitment to take a leading role among traditional automobile manufacturers in the areas of electrification, sustainability and technology. In Formula E, the brand gains valuable insights for its electric series-production sports cars.
Above content © 2024 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee
