ABB FIA Formula E Championship officially unveiled the Gen2 car, for use for the 2018/19 season and beyond, at the Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday.
The wraps were taken off by the car by FIA President Jean Todt and Formula E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag, as well as a robotic arm supplied by the series’ title sponsor ABB.
Technical specifications of the car, powered by a new battery from McLaren Applied Technologies which has double the range of the current Williams Advanced Engineering unit, were also revealed.
The power output of the car in qualifying mode goes up from 200kW to 250kW (335bhp), and race power will also increase to 200kW (270bhp) from the current 180kW.
This will allow the new car to accelerate from 0-60 in 2.8s and have a top speed of 280kph (174mph), although reigning Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi claimed the Gen2 would be capable of 300kph due to its low drag aerodynamics.
The Gen2 is 5160mm in length and 1770mm wide, and overall weight of the car has increased to 900kg including the driver, with the new battery alone weighing 385kg, which is only 20kg heavier than the current Spark chassis.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the complete car in the flesh and it’s even more sleek and spectacular up close,” said Agag.
“If you were to draw a racing car from scratch and base it purely on its looks, you’d come up with just this design. Not only is it striking on the eye, the performance and range show clear progress in terms of technological development in only four years.
“I’d like to express my personal thanks to the FIA and its President Jean Todt, for their hard work and support in putting together and designing our Gen2 car.
“This model visually differentiates Formula E from any other single-seater in motorsport today. When people see this car they will say it’s Formula E, it’s the future.”
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