The Gen3 Evo is the third-generation Formula E chassis built by Spark Racing Technology, upgraded for the 2024–25 season. Williams Advanced Engineering supplies the battery. Hankook supplies the all-weather tyres, which use bio-material and sustainable rubber compounds. Every team races an identical chassis — the competitive differentiation comes entirely from the manufacturer-specific rear powertrain.

Source: FIA Formula E official technical specifications · Wikipedia Gen3 entry · The Race technical analysis

The Gen3 Evo’s 0–60 mph time of 1.82 seconds is not a marketing number. It is the result of a fundamental physical advantage that electric motors have over combustion engines: instant torque delivery from zero RPM. A petrol engine must build revs before it reaches peak power. An electric motor produces maximum torque the moment current flows through it. At the moment of a race start or Attack Mode activation, the Gen3 Evo simply cannot be matched in the first two seconds of acceleration by anything that runs on petrol.

Furthermore, the Gen3 Evo’s acceleration advantage is enhanced by all-wheel drive during qualifying and Attack Mode. The Front Powertrain Kit (FPK) adds 50 kW of power at the front axle, improving traction out of slow corners and during high-load acceleration zones. This is the first time in Formula E history that the front motor has been used for traction rather than regeneration only — and the lap time improvement it delivers is measurable. Formula E estimates the Gen3 Evo is 36% faster in acceleration than the standard Gen3 and 30% faster than a current F1 car from standstill.

Acceleration Benchmark: Formula E vs the Motorsport World

Note: NHRA dragsters are purpose-built for straight-line acceleration only — not comparable circuit racing cars. For more on NHRA speeds, see how fast NHRA cars go.

The honest answer to “is Formula E faster than Formula 1” is: it depends entirely on which dimension of speed you measure. Formula 1 wins on top speed by a wide margin. Formula E wins on launch acceleration. Neither comparison is misleading — they reflect completely different engineering philosophies applied to cars that never race on the same circuits.

The reason Formula E wins the launch battle comes down to the fundamental physics of electric motors versus internal combustion engines. An F1 engine, even with hybrid assistance, must spin up to reach its power band. An electric motor produces peak torque at zero RPM. There is no rev-matching, no clutch slip — just instantaneous current flow producing instantaneous force. In the first 50–100 metres of any standing start, the Gen3 Evo is genuinely faster than everything else in circuit racing.

However, once the cars reach higher speeds, the power advantage of Formula 1 asserts itself decisively. F1 cars produce roughly twice the total power of a Gen3 Evo and carry extreme aerodynamic downforce packages. They also run on permanent circuits with long straights — Monza, Baku, Spa — where that speed differential can manifest fully. For a detailed look at how F1 power works, see our guide on how fast F1 cars actually go, and our full Formula E vs Formula 1 speed comparison.

The Gen3 Evo’s 322 km/h top speed is a theoretical maximum measured under controlled conditions. In actual race conditions, the highest speeds typically recorded on Formula E street circuits are in the range of 270–300 km/h (168–186 mph). The reason is simple: street circuit straights are short.

Formula E races on temporary circuits built from closed public roads in city centres. These layouts typically run between 1.9 and 3.4 km per lap — short compared to F1 circuits averaging 5–6 km. Moreover, the nature of city layouts means long straights are rare. Most Formula E circuits feature straight sections of 500–800 metres between tight hairpins and chicanes. A Gen3 Evo needs considerably more than that to reach 322 km/h from a typical corner exit speed.

This is why the Formula E racing experience looks so different from Formula 1 on television. There are no long, trailing throttle applications where cars seem to stretch away from each other. Instead, the racing is characterised by late braking, aggressive Attack Mode activations, and tight wheel-to-wheel exchanges through technical corners where the car’s low-speed agility and instant torque delivery actually matter most. To understand how the Formula E race weekend structures these competitive elements, see our full event guide.

Regenerative braking is one of the most important performance systems in Formula E — and one of the least understood by casual observers. When a Formula E driver lifts off the throttle or applies the brakes, the electric motors reverse their function. Instead of consuming electricity to produce movement, they convert movement back into electricity. The Gen3 Evo can recover up to 600 kW of power through this process — an extraordinary figure that exceeds the car’s own peak power output in race mode.

In practice, up to 40% of the total energy used in a Formula E race is recovered through regenerative braking. This is not a marginal efficiency gain — it is a fundamental part of the racing strategy. Drivers who are most effective at maximising regeneration under braking conserve their battery energy and can run Attack Mode longer, defend for more laps, or push harder in the final stages when rivals are managing their remaining energy more carefully.

How Regenerative Braking Changes the Driving Style

Formula E drivers describe the sensation of regenerative braking as different from mechanical braking in a way that takes significant adaptation. The regeneration level is adjustable on the steering wheel — drivers can dial up or down how aggressively the system harvests energy on lift-off. High regeneration settings create a very strong engine-braking effect, which changes the car’s balance and yaw characteristics entering corners.

Additionally, the front axle’s regenerative system in the Gen3 Evo is particularly strong — and coordinating front and rear braking bias requires significant skill. If a driver over-applies front regeneration into a slow corner, the front-heavy braking can cause understeer. Get it right, however, and the combined mechanical-plus-regenerative braking delivers extraordinary retardation figures. To understand how this differs from conventional torque and engine braking, see our explainer.

Formula E launched in September 2014 with the Gen1 car — a revolutionary concept at the time but, by modern standards, a deliberately modest starting point. What makes the series’ technological progression so remarkable is how dramatically performance has changed in just over a decade. The Gen3 Evo is almost unrecognisable from the Gen1 in terms of power, speed, and sophistication.

The Formula E Gen4 was officially unveiled on 5 November 2025. It represents the biggest single performance leap in the series’ history. The headline numbers are dramatic: 600 kW (805 bhp) in qualifying and Attack Mode — a 50% power increase over the Gen3 Evo. Race mode produces 450 kW (603 bhp) with permanent all-wheel drive active at all times. Prototype cars were tested by Porsche, Jaguar, Nissan and other manufacturers in late 2025, with the car’s racing debut planned for Season 13 (2026–27).

The Gen4’s expected top speed has not been officially stated by the FIA, but independent estimates suggest the 322 km/h Gen3 Evo figure will be significantly exceeded. Furthermore, the new Podium Advanced Technologies battery provides 55 kWh of usable energy — 37% more than the Gen3 Evo — with up to 700 kW of regenerative braking capacity. The car is also expected to match or exceed the pace of contemporary Formula 2 cars on comparable circuits, according to the FIA.

Source: Formula E Gen4 Wikipedia technical entry · FIA Formula E Gen4 unveil announcement · The Race Gen4 analysis

The Gen4 also introduces two aerodynamic configurations: high-downforce for qualifying and low-drag for races — a distinction borrowed from Formula 1 practice. Power steering arrives in Formula E for the first time. The chassis is built from at least 20% recycled materials and is designed to be fully recyclable after its useful life. For the latest on the Gen4 calendar and what it means for the 2026–27 season, see our Formula E schedule.