The Porsche 99X Electric enters its maiden Formula E season

Porsche has unveiled its new 99X Electric racing car amongst fans and members of the digital community as part of the live video game 'Formula E Unlocked'.

Porsche Drivers Neel Jani and Andre Lotterer played an active role in the car presentation with players from around the world. They were guided through the Porsche Digital GmbH premises in Ludwigsburg by specific instructions from the gaming community via livestream, and were the first to find the Porsche 99X Electric and then to unveil it.

The car features Porsche's E-Performance Powertrain, with its 800V technology and permernant synchronous motor capable of up to 335bhp. The car propels from zero to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds and can reach a maximum speed of 280km/h. The 385kg battery has a usable capacity of 52kWh and the brakes can achieve a maximum recuperation of 250kW.

In terms of the design, the traditional Porsche motorsport colours were chosen for the Formula E racing car. From above, the Porsche emblem is clearly visible around the Halo system. As usual, the naming format is three digits which represent Porsche racing cars and two-door sports cars.

The highest number, '9', was used twice, to emphasise the importance of the Formula E project for Porsche, while the X stands for the forward-looking approach and prototype racing. The Porsche 99X Electric also serves as a development platform for future fully electric production models.

For Porsche, the development of the powertrain played a central role from the start. Formula E regulations stipulate a standardised chassis and a standard battery, while the drive technologies are developed by the manufacturers.

The engineers were able to make use of their LMP1 experience when developing the Porsche Formula E powertrain. By entering Formula E, Porsche is also breaking new ground from a commercial perspective - Formula E addresses a young, different-minded and digitally-oriented target audience.