Porsche's 975 RSE Revealed

Porsche on Monday unveiled the 975 RSE, its new Formula E car for the series’ Gen4 rules, with a claimed top speed above 330 kilometers per hour, or 208 miles per hour. (newsroom.porsche.com) The car will debut at the start of the 2026/27 Formula E season and replaces Porsche’s current 99X Electric as the company’s factory single-seater in the all-electric championship. Formula E said the 975 RSE is Porsche’s entry for the opening of the Gen4 era next season. (fiaformulae.com) Gen4 is Formula E’s next technical rule set, and Porsche said it brings 600 kilowatts, or 816 metric horsepower, permanent all-wheel drive, new tires and much more aerodynamic downforce. Porsche said the package is the biggest performance step the championship has made since it launched in 2014. (newsroom.porsche.com) That extra downforce is grip made by airflow, like the car being pressed harder into the track at speed. Porsche said Gen4 uses two body setups: a low-drag package for races and a high-downforce package for qualifying, with up to 150 percent more downforce than the Gen3 Evo car. (newsroom.porsche.com) Porsche tied the project directly to road-car development. Thomas Laudenbach, Porsche Motorsport’s vice president, said Formula E is where the company develops “technical components that are relevant for our production sports cars,” including efficiency, weight, durability and cost. (newsroom.porsche.com) The company said its current Formula E drivetrain already runs at more than 97 percent efficiency from battery to wheels, with less than 3 percent of energy lost. For Gen4, Porsche said it added new in-house work on the DC/DC converter and brake-by-wire system alongside the motor, inverter, gearbox and rear-axle hardware it already develops itself. (newsroom.porsche.com) The 975 RSE has been on track for months before its public reveal. Porsche said testing began in November 2025, and The Race reported the car had completed about 1,860 kilometers at Weissach, Monteblanco, Almeria and Varano before Monday’s launch. (newsroom.porsche.com) (the-race.com) The name also points backward as Porsche pushes forward. The Race reported that “975” refers to the 75th anniversary of Porsche Motorsport in 2026, while “RSE” appears on the company’s launch materials as the badge for its new electric racer. (the-race.com) (newsroom.porsche.com) Formula E has changed sharply since its first season, when drivers switched cars mid-race because one battery could not last the distance. Laudenbach said Porsche has been developing the Gen4 car since 2024, and the company now says electric race cars are operating at a level comparable to Formula 2 on outright performance. (newsroom.porsche.com) (fiaformulae.com) The reveal puts Porsche at the front of Formula E’s next cycle just days before the championship returns to Berlin on May 2 and May 3, 2026. The message from the 975 RSE is simple: electric racing’s next benchmark will be set with more speed, more grip and more manufacturer-built hardware than before. (fiaformulae.com)