Porsche Debuts Its New 804-HP Formula E 975 RSE Race Car
The new 205-MPH Porsche 975 RSE will take on the next season of Formula E.
Porsche Motorsport is heading back to Formula E for the next season. To take on the latest all-electric single-seaters in the series, the German marque’s motorsport division is fielding an all-new Formula E race car: the 975 RSE. Also known as the “GEN4,” the new electric race car develops 804 horsepower. Although that power figure is only available in Attack mode, Normal mode keeps things at around 603 horsepower.
As you might imagine, the extra power is more than enough to motivate the next-generation Formula E to breakneck speeds. Porsche claims the 975 RSE can sprint to 60 mph in a blistering 1.8 seconds on its way to a 205 mph top speed. “The GEN4 shows how far electric vehicles have evolved,” says Vice President of Porsche Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach. “EVs are not only catching up with the standards we are used to; their strengths are becoming increasingly evident – on the track and on the road.”
“The 975 RSE produces 71 percent more peak power than its predecessor,” Technical Project Leader Formula E, Olivier Champenois said. But it’s not just a sizable bump in power, it’s also lightness. “At the same time, we were able to reduce the weight of many parts. Although we are developing more components in-house for GEN4 than for GEN3, the total weight of our parts package was only allowed to increase by 11 pounds,” Champenois added.
‘GEN4:’ More Downforce & Cornering Speed
For the new season of Formula E, the GEN4 will benefit from the added grip of a permanent all-wheel drive system, new Bridgestone racing tires, and two different aero packages. “Within roughly a decade, Formula E has become so fast that aerodynamic downforce is now a necessity,” Champenois said. “However, downforce always comes with drag and increases energy consumption.”
“To maintain a strong focus on efficiency, we use two different aero packages with distinct bodywork components: a low‑downforce package with reduced drag for the races, and a high‑downforce package for qualifying, where energy consumption isn’t relevant. We are talking about up to 150 percent more downforce compared to the GEN3 Evo,” Champenois added. What does that mean for the 975 RSE? Faster cornering speeds than the previous generation could’ve hoped to hit.
Photos: Porsche
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