The all-electric Formula E championship gains momentum with each passing season. Porsche is the latest mainstream manufacturer to join the series. Earlier this week the Porsche 99X Electric racecar was unveiled. Click here to read about the likelihood of the Formula E series coming to Cape Town.

Serious challenge

Porsche is a heavy-hitter in the world of motorsport, with countless wins on the international stage in myriad classes. The German outfit does not plan to be an also-ran and has been preparing for its Formula E challenge since leaving the World Endurance Championship (WEC) stage at the end of 2017. It rolled out its development car in March. The team then began a series of performance and reliability tests at the Calafat and Mallorca circuits in Spain. Incidentally, the team will be represented on track by Swiss driver Neel Jani and Belgian Andre Lotterer.

Porsche hallmarks

The new racer is clad in Porsche’s traditional motorsport colours of red, white and black. The 800-volt technology used in Formula E is also used in the series production of the fully electric Porsche sports car, the Taycan. Porsche’s press release explains the car’s name: The highest number, nine, was used twice, to re-emphasise the importance of the Formula E project for Porsche, while the X stands for the forward-looking approach and prototype racing.

In his own words

“Today is an important day,” said Fritz Enzinger, vice president of Porsche motorsport and group motorsport at Volkswagen AG.“With the premiere of the Porsche 99X Electric, we are taking a big step towards the Porsche works entry in Formula E. I am really proud of our team, which has shown a high level of commitment to the Formula E project. Now I am looking forward to seeing the Porsche 99X Electric on the racetrack.”

You can watch the Porsche 99X Electric unveiling and learn more about the car in the video below: