Each race is known as an ePrix. Races take place primarily on temporary street circuits created on closed public roads in city centres, with a small number held on purpose-built circuits such as Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. A points system determines annual World Championships for both drivers and teams. As of 2024, Formula E's founder and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag serves as the company's Chairman, and Jeff Dodds is Chief Executive Officer. Shareholders include Selim Fouad and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The proposal for a city-based electric single-seater championship was conceived by Jean Todt, president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and presented to politicians Alejandro Agag and Antonio Tajani at a dinner at a small Italian restaurant in Paris on 3 March 2011. Tajani was focused on the electrification of the automobile industry and reducing carbon-dioxide emissions. Agag agreed to organise the series, citing his prior experience negotiating television, sponsorship and marketing contracts.
As of the 2026 season, the championship is contested by 20 drivers and 10 teams. Races generally take place on temporary city-centre street circuits between 1.9 and 3.4 km long, though the series has been moving towards traditional circuits such as Shanghai International Circuit and Circuito del Jarama.
All practice sessions are usually 40 minutes long. In qualifying, drivers are split into two groups based on championship position; each group has a 10-minute session at 300 kW, and the top four from each group advance to head-to-head duels at 350 kW over quarter-final, semi-final and final stages.
Races use a set lap distance. For every four minutes spent under full course yellow or safety car, an additional racing lap is added. In-race maximum power output is currently 300 kW.
Points are awarded to the top ten drivers on the standard FIA system (25–18–15–12–10–8–6–4–2–1). Pole position earns 3 points; the fastest lap earns 1 additional point if the driver finishes in the top ten.
Seasons 1–4 used a set lap distance with mandatory mid-race car swaps, as batteries lacked the capacity to last a full race. From Season 5 the Gen2 car's larger battery eliminated car swaps, and the format shifted to 45 minutes plus one lap. The Gen3 car in Season 9 returned the championship to a lap-distance format.
For Seasons 6–7, energy was deducted under safety car and full course yellow conditions at 1 kWh per minute. Season 8 introduced an added-time format — 45 seconds of race time per full neutralised minute, up to a maximum of 10 minutes — before the current added-lap format replaced it in Season 9.
Attack Mode was introduced in Season 5, giving drivers an additional 25 kW (rising to 35 kW in Seasons 6–7) when they drove through a designated off-line activation zone. The format was revised for Season 9: drivers received a combined 4 minutes of Attack Mode deployed in two activation periods, with a choice of split strategy. From the 2023 Jakarta ePrix the total was extended to 8 minutes.
For the first eight seasons (2014–22), fans could vote via the official website or app to grant their chosen driver an extra power boost used within a 5-second window during the second half of the race. The top five most-voted drivers each received the burst. Fanboost was discontinued from the 2023 season.
A mandatory pit-stop recharging feature, originally called Attack Charge, was announced for Season 9 but delayed due to production issues with the Gen3 car's fast chargers. After multiple postponements, the feature — renamed Pit Boost — debuted at the 2025 Jeddah ePrix. All drivers must serve a mandatory 30-second stop to recharge at 600 kW, adding approximately 3.85 kWh of energy. Only one car per team may stop at a time, and no other work on the car is permitted during the stop.
The first Formula E car was built by Spark Racing Technology. The chassis was designed by Dallara, the battery by Williams Advanced Engineering, and a Hewland five-speed gearbox was used. Michelin supplied tyres. In Season 1, all teams used an electric motor developed by McLaren — the same unit as in its P1 supercar — with peak power at 268 hp (200 kW) limited to 201 hp (150 kW) in race conditions. From Season 2, manufacturers could develop their own electric motor, inverter, gearbox and cooling system. Race power limits rose progressively: 228 hp (170 kW) in Season 2, 335 hp (250 kW) peak from Season 3, and 241 hp (180 kW) race limit in Season 4. The car accelerated 0–100 km/h in 3 seconds and reached a maximum of 225 km/h. Forty-two cars were ordered for Season 1.
The Gen2 car was introduced for the 2018–19 season. Its 54 kWh battery, produced by McLaren Applied Technologies and Atieva, roughly doubled the capacity of its predecessor, eliminating mid-race car swaps. Peak power rose to 335 hp (250 kW) and top speed to around 280 km/h. The car was equipped with Brembo braking systems and the halo safety device. Michelin supplied all-weather treaded tyres. Base race power was 268 hp (200 kW), rising to 295 hp (220 kW) for Season 8. Attack Mode power started at 302 hp (225 kW) and rose to 335 hp (250 kW) by Season 8.
The Gen3 car was unveiled at the 2022 Monaco ePrix. Qualifying power is 469 hp (350 kW); race power is 402 hp (300 kW). Regenerative braking is available on both front (250 kW) and rear (350 kW) axles for up to 600 kW recovery, potentially providing 40% of total race energy. Estimated top speed is 322 km/h. The battery, supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering, supports ultra-fast charging at up to 600 kW. Wheelbase was reduced from 3,100 mm to 2,970 mm and weight to 760 kg. The chassis is built by Spark Racing Technology, which also supplies the front axle motor-generator unit. Hankook supplies all-weather tyres incorporating bio-material and sustainable rubber.
The Gen4 car was unveiled on 5 November 2025. Qualifying and Attack Mode peak power is 805 hp (600 kW); race power is 603 hp (450 kW) with full-time all-wheel drive — a 50% increase over the Gen3 Evo. The Podium Advanced Technologies-supplied battery provides 55 kWh of usable energy and supports up to 700 kW of regenerative braking or charging. Weight has increased to 1,012 kg and overall length by 520 mm to 5,540 mm due to strengthened crash structures and the larger battery and aerodynamic package. The car uses two aerodynamic configurations — high-downforce for qualifying and low-drag for races. Bridgestone supplies wider tyres, marking the company's return to single-seater racing since its final Formula 1 season in 2009. A dedicated wet-weather "Monsoon" tyre is available for the first time in Formula E. Power steering has been added for the first time in a Formula E car. Teams continue to develop the rear powertrain, suspension, adaptive limited-slip differentials on both axles, and brake-by-wire system; the front powertrain is supplied by common supplier Marelli. Chassis construction is 100% recyclable with at least 20% recycled content.
For the first seven seasons a BMW i8 plug-in hybrid served as safety car. During the 2020–21 season a Mini Electric was used at selected races. From 2022 a Porsche Taycan has been used. Bruno Correia is the official safety car driver.
The inaugural calendar comprised 11 races in 10 host cities: Beijing, Putrajaya, Punta del Este, Buenos Aires, Long Beach, Miami, Monte Carlo, Berlin, Moscow and London (two rounds). The first race at the Beijing Olympic Green Circuit on 13 September 2014 was won by Lucas Di Grassi. Seven different drivers won races across the season. Nelson Piquet Jr. became the first Formula E champion in the final London round, one point ahead of Sébastien Buemi. The teams' championship went to e.dams Renault (232 points) ahead of Dragon Racing (171 points).
Ten races across nine cities. Eight manufacturers introduced their own powertrains. Sébastien Buemi won the drivers' title by just two points over Lucas Di Grassi, claiming the fastest lap in the final London race to secure it.
Season 3 ran from Hong Kong in October 2016 to Montreal in July 2017. Lucas Di Grassi won the title in the final race, 24 points ahead of Buemi. Renault e.Dams defended their teams' championship.
Season 4 began in Hong Kong in December 2017. Jean-Éric Vergne clinched the title with a race to spare in New York. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler claimed the teams' championship by two points in the final race.
The Gen2 car's introduction for Season 5 eliminated car swaps. BMW, Nissan and DS Automobiles joined as manufacturers; Renault exited to concentrate on Formula 1. The 2019 Hong Kong ePrix was the series' 50th race. Jean-Éric Vergne won his second consecutive championship, becoming the first driver to win multiple Formula E titles. Techeetah won their first constructor's championship.
Mercedes-Benz and Porsche joined as manufacturers for Season 6. Energy deduction rules under safety car conditions were introduced. The season was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; it was completed in August with six races on three different layouts at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit in Berlin. António Félix da Costa won the drivers' title with two races to spare. DS Techeetah became teams' champions for the second consecutive year.
Season 7 was the first with FIA World Championship status, granted because the series had met criteria of four manufacturer competitors and races on three continents since 2015–16. Audi and BMW announced their withdrawal from the series after this season. Nyck de Vries claimed his first world title; Mercedes-EQ won the teams' championship.
Season 8 was the final Gen2 season. The added-time format under safety car replaced energy deduction. A new qualifying format with groups A and B was introduced. Stoffel Vandoorne won the drivers' title; Mercedes EQ won the teams' championship for the second consecutive year.
The debut season of the Gen3 era. Maserati and McLaren made their Formula E debuts; Abt Sportsline returned with Cupra Racing. Timed races were replaced by lap-distance races. Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti Formula E) won the drivers' championship; Envision Racing won the teams' championship.
Season 10 featured 16 races across 10 venues from January to July 2024. A manufacturers' championship was introduced for the first time. New venues included Misano, Shanghai and Tokyo (the first Formula E race in Japan). Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche Formula E Team) won the drivers' title; Jaguar Racing won the teams' and manufacturers' championships.
Season 11 featured 16 races across 10 venues from December 2024 to July 2025 — the first time since 2019–20 that a season spanned two calendar years. The Gen3 Evo car was introduced. Lola and Yamaha joined the series, partnering with ABT. Pit Boost debuted at the Jeddah ePrix. Oliver Rowland (Nissan Formula E Team) won the drivers' title; Porsche Formula E Team won the teams' championship; Porsche won the manufacturers' championship.
Season 12 is set to feature 17 races across 11 venues from December 2025 to August 2026. McLaren announced their departure from the series ahead of this season. New venues include Miami and Madrid; the Sanya ePrix returns.
Formula E television coverage is distributed through CBS Sports, The Roku Channel, TNT Sports UK, CCTV-5, Eurosport, J Sports, Ziggo Sport Totaal and ITV. English language programming is produced by Whisper; Aurora Media Worldwide produces the main worldwide broadcast.
Directors Fisher Stevens and Malcolm Venville created the documentary film And We Go Green about the 2017–18 season, co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. Formula E's own documentary series Unplugged debuted on 22 November 2021, covering the 2020–21 season; subsequent series covered the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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