The New Formula E GEN4 Race Car Is The Fastest Electric Racer Ever Built
Formula 1’s reign as the street circuit speed king has a challenger for the crown nipping at its wing. Formula E and Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)—also the governing body of World Rally Championship, World Endurance Championship, and World Rallycross—have unveiled the new GEN4 race car, which will hit the track for the 2026/2027 season.
The transition from the previous, ground effect-focused generation of F1 cars that ran from 2022 to 2025 to extraordinarily aerodynamic and more electrically reliant generation that debuted in 2026 was a mixed bag performance-wise: Qualifying (i.e. fastest) lap times got slower, top speeds got faster, and peak power stayed at over 1,000 horsepower. Perhaps because of the relative nascency of Formula E—the series has seen 150 races run over 11 seasons since its 2014 founding—and the rapid evolution of EV technology, the GEN4 cars are vastly superior to the GEN3 cars in almost every way.
Top speed grows from 322 kph (200 mph) to 335 kph (208 mph) and output climbs a staggering 70 percent from a maximum 350 kW (470 horsepower) to a maximum 600 kW (805 horsepower). They hit 100 kph (62 mph) in 1.8 seconds, which is commensurate with GEN3 cars, but GEN4 cars rocket to 200 kph (124 mph) in 4.4 seconds—about as quickly as an F1 car. Formula E estimates that the new vehicles will be at least 5 seconds per lap faster on street circuits and average of 10 seconds faster in the most aggressive qualifying mode.
“Seeing what it can do on track for the first time is a real milestone for Formula E,” said Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds. “We are now delivering performance levels that were thought impossible for electric vehicles just five years ago.”
The blistering evolution doesn’t stop at performance. GEN4 is the world’s first racing car that is 100 percent recyclable, with at least 20 percent recycled materials used across key components. Its tires are made from 65 percent natural and recycled materials, including 30 percent certified natural rubber, and the battery contains no rare earth minerals.
Formula E is also Certified B Corp—the world’s first and only sport to achieve this designation—which means non-profit B Lap has determined that the company meets high standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and legal accountability. It also stands as the only sport in the world to be Net Zero Carbon since inception.
“It is not simply just a fast car, it is a statement of intent about the future of this technology,” FIA president and former rally driver Mohammed Ben Sulayem said of the GEN4 car. “I am proud that the FIA and its partners in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship are leading this vision. Collaboration has been central to the development of this car, and it will continue to be at the heart of a new era for the championship defined by greater performance, road relevance, and excitement. We are redefining what is possible alongside some of the world’s biggest automotive manufacturers using the laboratory of motorsport.”
Shortly after the current F1 season concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix wraps up on December 6, Formula E GEN4 cars fielded by manufacturers Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan, Stellantis, Indian automaker Mahindra, and British performance automaker Lola Cars will embark on what will be the fastest EV competition of all time.