MONTE CARLO (Reuters) - Formula E and the Federation
Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) launched a new third-generation race car in Monaco on Thursday which executives hope will represent a leap forward for motorsport and electric mobility.
Formula E and the governing body of motorsport, FIA, shared a first look at the Gen3 all-electric car that will race in Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the Yacht Club de Monaco with the public.
It aims to be a machine created at the intersection of high performance, innovation and sustainability, motorsport leaders said.
“When we set out to design the Gen3 we really wanted to break ground in terms of super high performance, 100 kilowatts more power than the last one, and efficiency,” Jamie Reigle, Formula E’s CEO, told Xinhua during the unveil ceremony ahead of this weekend’s Monaco E-Prix.
It comes as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship makes its fifth visit to the street circuit in Monaco this Saturday for Round 6 of Season 8 on the glamourous Riviera with a total of 11 teams and 22 drivers.
Formula E said the design was inspired by the aerodynamic form of a fighter jet and that it was the fastest, lightest, most powerful and most efficient electric race car ever built with a top speed of over 322 kph / 200 mph.
It also said that seven of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers registered with the FIA to race the new Gen3 in Season 9 of the ABB FIA World Championship with pre-season testing this winter.
They include DS Automobiles from France, Jaguar from the UK, Mahindra Racing from India, Maserati from Italy, NIO 333 from the UK and China, Nissan from Japan and Porsche from Germany.