Tag Archives: Formula E

News

Porsche Doubles Down on Formula E: Six-Car, GEN4 Assault Starts in 2026

Porsche isn’t just staying in Formula E — it’s hitting the overtake button.

Beginning with the 2026/2027 season, the reigning Manufacturers’ World Champion is planning its most aggressive electric-motorsport program yet, fielding up to four factory cars and supporting a customer team running two more. That’s six Porsche 99X Electrics in total, all built to Formula E’s new GEN4 spec and packing more than 600 kW — the biggest performance leap the series has ever seen.

If Porsche’s message wasn’t clear before, it is now: Stuttgart wants to own the electric future just as it owned the combustion past.

“Motorsport shapes our brand,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Porsche’s Vice President of Motorsport. “Our heritage in traditional motorsport is unique and is reflected in every Porsche. In the future, we want to be able to say the same about electric motorsport.”

Chasing Wins — and Tech

For Porsche, Formula E isn’t just about podiums. It’s an R&D crucible.

Laudenbach highlights what the company sees as Formula E’s magic formula: strong competition, manageable costs, and tech relevance that flows into production sports cars. With GEN4 cars set to deliver brutal efficiency and unprecedented power levels, the development loop between race track and road car tightens even further.

“Compared to other racing series, Formula E offers a very attractive balance between effort and return,” Laudenbach says. “It also gives us the opportunity to further develop technical solutions that are relevant to our production sports cars.”

Translation: the next time you see a Taycan Turbo GT — or whatever wild EV Porsche cooks up next — don’t be surprised if it carries some DNA from Porsche’s 99X program.

A Second Team, Same Campus

The expansion isn’t just numerical. Porsche plans to base the second team at the company’s Weissach Development Centre, the heart of the brand’s motorsport operations. But this isn’t meant to be a simple extension of the current factory squad.

“When marketing the additional cars, we want to create as much independence as possible, not just expand our current presence,” Laudenbach explains.

In other words: Porsche wants two teams, two identities, and potentially two competitive forces on the grid — not a corporate clone.

75 Years of Competition, Electrified

Next year marks 75 years since Porsche Motorsport entered the arena. From Le Mans legends to rally icons and IMSA domination, the brand’s trophy cabinet is as heavy as its expectations. With this latest move, Porsche is openly positioning Formula E as a defining chapter in its next 75.

“A success story that will also be shaped by stories from electric motorsport in the future,” Laudenbach says.

Six cars. A new generation of hardware. And a manufacturer intent on rewriting what Porsche performance means in an all-electric world.

Stuttgart just plugged in — and cranked the dial to 11.

Source: Porsche

News

Citroën Charges Into Formula E: A Bold Electric Return to Racing

When most automakers announce new models or refreshed design language, Citroën just did something different—something electrifying, literally. In a surprise yet entirely calculated move, the storied French brand has confirmed that it will enter the FIA Formula E championship as a factory team, starting next season. It’s a step that feels like both a homecoming and a leap forward—equal parts heritage, innovation, and high-voltage ambition.

A Return to Racing, Reimagined

Citroën’s announcement makes clear that this isn’t just motorsport for motorsport’s sake. It’s a statement: the company is recommitting to racing in the guise that perhaps best reflects where the automotive world is headed—100% electric. For an automaker whose history is steeped in rally raids, prototypes, and dynamic performance cars, this new chapter is less of a detour and more of an evolution.

For racing fans who have followed the marque’s successes—whether in small-cars, Citroën’s ground­breaking hydropneumatic suspensions, or its rally years—this motorsport return will feel familiar. Yet the platform is entirely modern, entirely responsible, and entirely aligned with Citroën’s vision of mobility’s future.

Why Formula E?

Citroën points out that Formula E is more than just racing; it is an innovation platform, a technology showcase, and a marketing arena all in one. The appeal is wide:

  • Electric innovation in the spotlight. Racing in city centres, in front of young, tech-savvy, environmentally conscious audiences, gives the brand a stage to show off its electric technologies.
  • Sustainability as performance. Formula E emphasizes clean energy, efficient powertrains, and minimal environmental footprint—values that align with Citroën’s commitment to “responsible competition.”
  • Brand vitality. By reconnecting to motorsport, especially in such a visible and modern setting, Citroën stakes a claim: it’s not just watching the future; it’s helping build it.

What This Means for Fans and Industry

Motorsport enthusiasts will be eager to see how the iconic identity of Citroën translates into Formula E form. Will we see distinctive livery that evokes DS-era touring cars? How will Citroën’s engineering heritage—across aerodynamics, energy regeneration, battery management—be folded into its powertrain?

For the industry, Citroën’s entry adds weight to Formula E’s credibility. With established manufacturers increasingly turning their R&D priority toward electrification, having Citroën in the mix underscores the championship’s importance as a testbed for tomorrow’s passenger EVs.

The Road Ahead

Details are still under wraps. Citroën promises “more information” at the end of October—expect announcements on driver lineup, car design, technical partners, and perhaps a glimpse of its strategy for championship contention versus long-term learning.

What is clear is that Citroën’s reentry into factory-backed racing is not nostalgic—it’s future-facing. It’s an acknowledgement that motorsport—and especially electric motorsport—still thrills, still inspires, and perhaps more importantly, still informs what our roads will look like in the decades to come.

So here’s what to stay tuned for: when Citroën takes the grid in Formula E, it won’t just be about who crosses the line first. It will also be about setting a pace others must catch up to—on efficiency, sustainability, and in proving that electric performance belongs at the heart of what makes driving, and racing, meaningful.

Source: Citroen

News

Nissan Plots Formula E-Infused Hot EV Prototypes for Future Nismo Models

Nissan is weighing up an ambitious plan to harness its Formula E expertise to shape the next era of high-performance electric vehicles – with potential prototypes set to lay the groundwork for future Nismo-badged road cars.

In an interview with Autocar, Tommaso Volpe, head of Nissan’s Formula E squad, confirmed that internal discussions are ongoing regarding a potential collaboration between the Paris-based race team and the company’s in-house performance division, Nismo. The goal? To fast-track development of EVs that don’t just go the distance – but do so with thrilling pace and precision.

“Nothing is agreed yet,” Volpe clarified, “but we are considering a proposal to develop prototypes based on standard road-going chassis. These would act as testbeds for Nismo, allowing them to enhance the performance characteristics of electric cars.”

Nissan’s current EV performance offering is limited to the Ariya Nismo, a mildly warmed-up version of its electric SUV. However, senior executives have hinted at much bigger ambitions. Nissan product planning boss Ivan Espinosa previously spoke of “exciting plans” for a future line-up of Nismo EVs, including as many as four or five halo models to spearhead the brand’s performance push.

The proposed tie-up with Formula E could serve as a turning point. Until now, technology transfer between road and race EVs has mostly flowed in one direction – with learnings from production models, like the Leaf, informing race car software development. But that paradigm is expected to shift with the arrival of Formula E’s Gen4 cars in the 2026/27 season.

The Gen4 machines will pack around 800bhp from dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrains – nearly doubling the 469bhp output of today’s racers. More critically, they’ll mirror the drivetrain configurations increasingly found in road EVs, such as the Ariya’s e-4ORCE AWD system.

“This is where we’ll see the real crossover,” Volpe explained. “The performance and efficiency thresholds in Gen4 will be pushed to the limit. With all-wheel drive becoming standard in both racing and consumer EVs, there’s a huge opportunity for us to influence future Nismo products directly.”

The idea is to develop prototype mules that utilise race-bred twin-motor technology and advanced traction control strategies. These testbeds would serve not only as validation platforms but also as inspiration for future production models – potentially unlocking new levels of grip, torque vectoring, and energy management for Nissan’s electrified performance line-up.

According to Volpe, the Gen4 regulations themselves were co-shaped with this kind of synergy in mind: “There was strong pressure from Nissan and other OEMs to make AWD standard. It aligns perfectly with where the EV market is heading.”

While it remains to be seen whether these prototype collaborations will get the official green light, the direction of travel is clear: Nissan wants to fuse its motorsport DNA with its EV future, and Nismo is poised to benefit from the trickle-down of Formula E’s most cutting-edge tech.

If the plans proceed, enthusiasts could soon see Formula E-inspired Nismo EVs that blend race-honed dynamics with road-ready practicality – and potentially reignite the brand’s performance legacy in a fully electric form.

Source: Autocar