Formula E has officially unveiled its Gen4 car for the 2026-2027 season, and the brief is straightforward: raise the performance ceiling in a big way. This new single-seater brings more power, more speed, and permanent all-wheel drive for the first time, making it a real technical step forward even if that leap comes with a clear trade-off: it’s also packing on serious weight.
Right away, the message to readers following the Formula E category is easy to read. The series no longer wants to sell itself only as an electric tech lab; it wants to be taken more seriously as a top-level racing championship. That’s why the bigger story here isn’t the usual talk of a “revolution,” but how Gen4 could reshape Formula E’s place relative to F2, and indirectly, how close it wants to look to F1.
Gen4 takes a big swing with 804 hp and 335 km/h
On paper, this will be the fastest and most powerful Formula E car yet. The series says Gen4 will hit 335 km/h and deliver a peak 804 hp in qualifying or Attack Mode. That’s roughly 70% more than Gen3, a huge jump in a spec-based championship where gains are usually measured in much smaller steps.
The immediate consequence is obvious. Formula E isn’t talking only about efficiency or regeneration strategy anymore; now it’s leaning hard into outright speed. Alberto Longo even places Gen4 above Formula 2 on performance, with F1 “not very far” away, though that claim still needs caution because no independent apples-to-apples comparison has been provided on the same track and in the same conditions.
Even so, the direction matters. Since 2014, when drivers still had to swap cars mid-race because range wasn’t there yet, Formula E has changed dramatically. Gen4 doesn’t erase that history; it uses it to show the series has moved well beyond its early development years.
Permanent all-wheel drive addresses a real Gen3 weakness
The other headline change may sound less flashy in a press release, but it could matter even more on track. Gen4 will be the only single-seater with permanent all-wheel drive. In simple terms, Formula E is tackling one of Gen3’s biggest issues: getting all that power to the pavement cleanly, especially on tight street circuits that are often bumpy, dirty, and low-grip.
That setup could change a lot in practice. Better traction distribution should mean cleaner corner exits, more consistent power delivery, and a less ragged overall feel. The payoff isn’t limited to straight-line acceleration; it also affects drivability and how credible the cars look when drivers are really leaning on them.
Still, the real verdict will come once the races start. All-wheel drive can solve a traction problem, but it can also move complexity somewhere else, especially into chassis setup, tire behavior, and weight management. That’s why this upgrade looks promising, but not fully proven yet.
Bigger and heavier: the technical price of a more ambitious Formula E car
This is probably the most concrete limitation of Gen4. It gets quicker, but it also gets larger. Weight climbs from 863 to 950 kg, and the car itself grows, with a wider cockpit designed to accommodate power steering and create more hand room for drivers.
That is not a minor detail. More power demands more control, more systems, and more from the driver. Power steering answers a real need if downforce, steering loads, and traction levels all move upward, but that convenience comes at a cost.
A heavier car may bring more stability, but it also changes the way the car behaves under braking, through transitions, and in low-speed corners where Formula E often lives. The series is clearly prioritizing a higher performance ceiling over chasing absolute lightness, and that choice fits its current ambitions. But in racing, every extra kilogram eventually shows up somewhere on track.
Bridgestone and real wet tires could reshape race weekends
Gen4 also marks a supplier change, with Bridgestone replacing Hankook. That may look secondary from a distance, but tire performance can shift the competitive order quickly. In motorsport, tires are never just background hardware; they are one of the biggest performance variables all weekend long.
The more interesting change is the arrival of proper wet tires. Until now, the series relied on all-purpose rubber meant to simplify logistics and support its efficiency-first message. The problem was clear whenever conditions got truly wet: that compromise had limits.
With a full wet-weather tire, Formula E finally gives itself a cleaner solution for rain-affected races. That could improve both safety and consistency, and it may also open a different style of racing if a more powerful, all-wheel-drive car is properly equipped for low-grip conditions. As always, the real behavior will depend on compounds, temperatures, and track surfaces, none of which are detailed here.
A claimed 10-second gain sounds huge, but context still matters
Formula E says Gen4 should be 10 seconds per lap quicker in qualifying. That number gets attention immediately, and it says a lot about the scale of the jump the series expects between generations. In race trim, the car is also said to have 50% more power, which helps explain why championship leadership is framing this as a major step rather than a routine technical update.
But the fine print matters. A 10-second lap-time gain means very little without knowing the track, the weather, the temperature, and the energy setup. Anyone who follows racing closely knows a lap time can sound dramatic when it’s stripped of context.
What does seem clear is the direction of travel. Formula E wants to increase the pace of its races in a meaningful way and close some of the perceived gap to more established ladder and premier categories. Jeff Dodds has leaned into that by positioning Gen4 as a performance marker for EVs, and while the language can sound a little optimistic, it is backed by real technical changes rather than pure spin.
The 2026-2027 season will decide whether Formula E has really changed status
Gen4 will be used for four seasons starting at the end of this year, although the 2026-2027 calendar was not included in the draft provided. Initial running has already taken place at Paul Ricard with the six committed manufacturers present, but only Porsche, Jaguar, and Stellantis, through Opel, actually ran on track. Nissan, Lola Cars, and the other brands in attendance did not run because of scheduling conflicts tied to their development work.
That detail matters because it is a reminder that a new race car never shows its full hand at launch. This is only the start of the process. From here, manufacturers will shape their own packages around the base car, each bringing a different read on performance, energy management, and chassis balance.
The real test, then, is race weekend. If Gen4 delivers, Formula E can finally strengthen a claim it has been making for years: that it deserves attention for performance, not just for its electric concept. If it doesn’t, the risk is simple—a car that looks impressive on the spec sheet but still has something to prove in sporting credibility.
In summary
- Gen4 is rated at 804 hp in qualifying or Attack Mode, with a 335 km/h top speed.
- It adopts permanent all-wheel drive, a first for a Formula E car.
- Weight rises from 863 to 950 kg, showing the cost of the technical upgrade.
- Bridgestone replaces Hankook, and proper wet tires are finally part of the package.
- Formula E is promising a 10-second qualifying lap-time gain, though that still needs real-world confirmation.
- The 2026-2027 season will show whether this technical jump becomes a true sporting step forward.
Bottom line: Gen4 is aimed squarely at the people who still think Formula E lacks speed and on-track clarity. It promises more performance, stronger traction, and likely more credibility against other single-seater formulas. The catch is already obvious: more weight means more compromises. Formula E could have stayed conservative. Instead, it chose to get more aggressive, and over the next 3–5 years, that decision will go a long way toward defining whether the series grows into a more convincing top-tier EV championship or remains stuck defending its concept.
