The Formula E Gen3, also known as Spark Gen3 or simply Gen3, is an electric formula race car designed for use in the

FIA Formula E Championship Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The racing series is the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars. ...

. The car is the successor to the SRT05e, and is constructed by

Spark Racing Technology Spark Racing Technology (SRT) is a motorsport manufacturer specialized in the development and engineering of high-performance electric vehicles and modules. The company was founded by Frédéric Vasseur to become the sole chassis supplier for the ...

. It is used as the base car for all manufacturers and teams from the

2022–23 Formula E World Championship The 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was the ninth season of the FIA Formula E championship, a motor racing championship for electrically powered vehicles recognised by motorsport's governing body, the Fédération International ...

onwards. The upgraded Gen3 Evo has been used from season onwards. It is the first ever Formula E car with

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. Types The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...

to race internationally.

Development

In July 2020 it was announced that Spark Racing Technology would build the chassis and supply the front axles, Williams Advanced Engineering would supply the batteries, and

Hankook Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd. (), also known simply as Hankook ( , ), is a South Korean tire company based in Seoul. It is the seventh-largest tire company in the world. It is a part of Hankook & Company. History Hankook Tire was establis ...

would supply all-weather tires that incorporate bio-material and sustainable rubber.

Specifications

The theoretical top speed is . The battery is also designed to handle "flash-charging" at rates of up to 600 kW, allowing pitstop recharging into the championship for the first time; however, the introduction of fast charging had been delayed due to battery issues persistent throughout testing. The wheelbase is and the weight is without the allocation of 80 kg for the driver, which brings the weight to . The electric motor produces a maximum 350 kW in attack mode and 300 kW in race mode. Because of the new front powertrain the GEN3 car is capable of a regenerative possibility of 600 kW (250 kW at the front and 350 kW at the rear) which doubles the amount of regeneration of the GEN2 car (

Spark SRT05e The Spark SRT05E, also known as the Spark Gen2 (or the Spark Gen2EVO for the unreleased upgraded chassis that was set to be introduced in the 2020–21 season but eventually cancelled) was an electric formula race car designed for use in the FIA ...

). The

power-to-weight ratio Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement ...

is therefore roughly equivalent to an

Audi RS5 Turbo DTM The Audi RS5 Turbo DTM is a Class One Touring Car constructed by the German car manufacturer Audi AG for use in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. The car was an updated version of the previous Audi RS5 DTM that had a naturally aspirated engine ...

GENBETA

The GENBETA is a modified version of the Gen3 racecar. It has enhanced battery output, all-wheel drive, softer iON Race tyre compound, and 3D printed front wing endplates, wheel fins and a wind deflector. It has been used to break two different world records.

World indoor speed record

During the 2023 London ePrix weekend, then-

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...

driver

Jake Hughes Jake John Hughes (born 30 May 1994) is a British people, British racing driver who currently competes in Formula E with Maserati MSG Racing and is also the simulator driver for the McLaren, McLaren F1 Team. He is the winner of the inaugural 2013 ...

set a new

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for indoor speed by hitting 218.71 km/h (135.9 mph) inside London's ExCeL Centre. The previous record for fastest speed achieved by a vehicle indoors was 165.20 km/h (102.65 mph) set by American driver

Leh Keen Lehman McGrath Keen III (born July 22, 1983) is an American racecar driver born in Dublin, Georgia, who competes in the United SportsCar Championship. He most recently drove the No. 22 Alex Job Racing WeatherTech Porsche 911 GT America in the Un ...

in a Porsche Taycan Turbo S at the New Orleans Convention Centre in 2021.

Single-seater acceleration record

In January 2024, Reem Al Aboud set a new record for FIA

single-seater An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fend ...

acceleration. She drove the GENBETA from 0-100km/h (0-60mph) in 2.49 seconds, beating the previous benchmark of 2.6 seconds, which was set in a

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

car.

References

{{FIA Formula E Championship Open wheel racing cars Electric sports cars Formula E Electric racing cars