From its beginnings scribbled on the back of a napkin during a conversation between founder Alejandro Agag and former FIA President Jean Todt, Formula E has morphed into the world’s most rapidly growing motorsport series. Season 8 kicks off this week with 11 teams, 22 drivers and a record 16 races across the globe to look forward to. A very common question is "What's the difference between Formula E and Formula 1 cars?" Compared to Formula 1, Formula E is very much the new kid on the block – so let’s take a look at the differences between the cars and challenges the drivers face.

How are Formula E cars different from Formula 1 cars?

F1 developed the capability for additional electric drivetrains in 2009 – making them hybrids, known as Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). The theory behind this was to recover braking energy, store it either electrically or mechanically and re-use that energy at another point on the lap. In 2013, all engines were electric hybrids, recovering both braking energy and heat energy (from the exhaust), known as ERS (Energy Recovery System).

As a result of this technology, F1 power units are now among the most efficient internal combustion engines in the world and their development has undoubtedly contributed to the development of hybrid vehicle technology in mainstream automotive.

As an electric-only race series, the Formula E drivetrain contains:

• a much larger battery
• a single, much larger motor and inverter
• no internal combustion engine

These cars are closely related to the Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) that are becoming more common on today’s roads. The development of BEV technology through Formula E has led to the acceleration of BEV technology in mainstream automotive.

What impact does this have on the driver and the race?

In racing terms, they are very different cars. As ‘the pinnacle of motorsport’, an F1 car is the fastest and most technically advanced. ERS management is important and one of the biggest demands on an F1 driver, ensuring they use the available energy correctly and balanced between the two drivetrain types.

A Formula E car is very similar, with many of the same challenges. This car features only the electric drivetrain, offering a different type of energy management challenge. The driver has to balance conserving enough energy to complete the race, without having too much left over that could have been used for speed (who didn’t feel sorry for third-place Norman Nato being disqualified in the 2021 Rome E-Prix for using too much energy?). Formula E races on street circuits which are slower than F1 but allow for more overtaking and tighter racing.

Are there challenges with electric motorsport technology?

Electric vehicle technology is advancing rapidly. This progress can be clearly seen in the difference between the Gen 1 (Seasons 1-4) and Gen 2 (Seasons 5-8) cars. First-generation technology forced the driver to change cars halfway through the race (although some fans argue this made the race more entertaining). For the Gen 2 car, McLaren Applied provides battery technology, doubling energy content with the same mass and volume, negating the need for a second car.

Looking even further forward, there has been much debate and excitement around the new Gen 3 cars being introduced in Season 9 – what’s different about them?

A pre-season briefing in Valencia disclosed a series of design, performance and sustainability innovations in the Gen 3 car. We can look forward to meeting the world’s most efficient racing car – at least 40% of the energy used within a race will be produced by regenerative braking. Impressively, the design was inspired by a fighter jet wing and optimised for street racing.

It will feature front and rear electric powertrains - a new front powertrain will more than double the regenerative capability of the current Gen 2 to a total of 600kW, with no rear hydraulic brakes due to the front powertrain’s regenerative capability.

Expect to see the fastest Formula E car yet! With an electric motor delivering up to 350kw of power and capable of a top speed of 200mph, and a power-to-weight ratio twice as efficient as an equivalent 470BHP internal combustion engine.

Fans will be delighted to see a lighter, smaller car to allow faster, more agile wheel-to-wheel racing!

Design, engineering and production innovations for the Gen3 race car include:

Performance:

• Fastest Formula E car yet with a top speed over 322 kph / 200 mph.
• Most efficient formula racing car ever with more than 40% of the energy used within a race produced by regenerative braking.
• Around 95% power efficiency from an electric motor delivering up to 350kW of power (470BHP), compared to approximately 40% for an internal combustion engine.
• First-ever formula car with both front and rear powertrains. A new front powertrain adds 250kW to the 350kW at the rear, more than doubling the regenerative capability of the current Gen2 to a total of 600kW.
• Ultra-high speed charging capability of 600kW for additional energy during a race, almost double the power of the most advanced commercial chargers in the world.
• The first formula car that will not feature rear hydraulic brakes with the addition of the front powertrain and its regenerative capability.

Sustainability:

• Gen3 batteries are among the most advanced, sustainable batteries ever made consisting of sustainably-sourced minerals while battery cells will be reused and recycled at end of life.
• Linen and recycled carbon fibre will be used in bodywork construction for the first time in a formula car featuring recycled carbon fibre from retired Gen2 cars and reducing the overall amount of virgin carbon fibre used. This will reduce the carbon footprint of the production of the Gen3 bodywork more than 10%. All waste carbon fibre will be reused for new applications through adoption of an innovative process from the aviation industry.
• Natural rubber and recycled fibres will make up 26% of new Gen3 tyres and all tyres will be fully recycled after racing.
• The carbon footprint of the Gen3 has been measured from the design phase to inform all reduction measures taken to reduce environmental impact, while all unavoidable emissions will be offset as part of Formula E’s net zero carbon commitment.
• All Gen3 suppliers will operate in line with top international standards to reduce environmental impacts of manufacturing (ISO 14001) and be FIA Environmental Accreditation 3-Star rated.

Seven of the world’s leading automotive manufacturers have 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 are: DS Automobiles (France); Jaguar (UK); Mahindra Racing (India); Maserati (Italy); NIO 333 (UK / China); Nissan (Japan); Porsche (Germany).

Anyway, back to Season 8 - good luck to all teams involved in this Formula E season and we look forward to the first race in Diriyah!

Read more about Formula E.