Formula E’s faster Gen3 car starts season 9 Saturday in Mexico City
Formula E is back for the start of season nine this weekend at the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.
The season includes the new faster, lighter, and much more angular Gen3 car, new tracks, and more.
This is the first time Formula E has opened a season in Mexico City, with the last four seasons being launched in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Unlike the last few seasons, the opening race is not a doubleheader this time around â there will only be one race, on Saturday, so if you wait until Sunday to tune in, youâll miss the live action.
At nearly 2,300m/7,500ft altitude, Mexico Cityâs track provides an excellent demonstration of the strengths of electric drive. Combustion vehicles that race there have to contend with thinner air, which means less efficient combustion and lower engine power. With electric drive, this isnât a worry â electric motors work equally well at any elevation.
New car
The most exciting change this year is the new car, which is a big change from last yearâs car. The Gen3 spec looks very different than before, with a much more angular look.
Theyâre also smaller in every dimension â length, width, wheelbase, height, and most importantly weight. Smaller cars mean thereâs more room on the track, which can potentially mean more overtakes on track. Smaller, lighter cars also perform better, since thereâs less weight to push around in turns or during acceleration or braking.
But the biggest and most interesting change is in the powertrain. In addition to a boost to 350kW of power (as compared to 250kW in Gen2) and top speed of 200mph, the Gen3 car also has an additional 250kW front motor specifically for regenerative braking. This makes the Formula E Gen3 car the first Formula car to have both front and rear powertrains.
This means the car is capable of regenerating up to 600kW of power under braking, more than double what it could last year. So the cars will be more efficient and, therefore, able to go further and faster.
In fact, thereâs so much energy recovery available from the motors that the car wonât even have rear brakes. Instead of rear friction brakes, the car relies only on its 350kW motor for rear braking. It still has front friction brakes, given that the front axle does the majority of work during braking due to load transfer, but the front brakes wonât need to be as large since theyâre backed up by the front motor.
That said, these two powertrains do not make the Gen3 car an all-wheel drive vehicle. Like other formula cars, it still gets all of its acceleration power from the rear axle. But theoretically it would be possible to move to all-wheel drive without a significant car redesign, so we wonder if that might be in the Gen3 carâs future.
That power now goes through Hankook instead of Michelin tires, as Formula E has changed tire suppliers for the first time. But the tires will remain all-weather, treaded tires, suitable for street racing even in wet(-ish) conditions, rather than racing slicks like most racing cars use, which offer much better grip in dry conditions. So between a more powerful rear motor and all-weather tires, Formula E cars will continue to be squirrelly on corner exit, testing driver skill at every turn.
So there isnât that much of a change in balance during acceleration, but the new car should offer a totally different braking experience, which will take the drivers some time to get used to, especially the first time they take to the track in anger this weekend. We expect some interesting passing opportunities in the early half of the season.
That 600kW of total system regenerative braking capacity is relevant in another way, too. The carâs battery is capable of up to 600kW DC quick charging. Not only does this get used in the race by the braking system, but Formula E plans to add mid-race charging pit stops this year.
In races with these pit stops, the series will require that every driver make a short charging stop, and doing so will unlock activations of âattack mode,â a higher power mode which gives the cars a boost in energy for a few minutes at a time. This change should add more passing and dynamism to the race, while also demonstrating 600kW charging, twice the speed of the fastest consumer chargers.
All of this put together resulted in cars going about half a second faster around the test track in Valencia during pre-season testing last month, part of which was in wet conditions, which meant teams didnât get as many dry laps as theyâd like. While half a second doesnât sound like a lot, itâs quite a bit in racing â and itâs also a comparison between an outgoing powertrain and an incoming one.
Whenever technology changes happen, it takes a while for teams and drivers to get used to them, and for changes this significant, we can imagine there will be quite a learning curve. We wouldnât be surprised if the cars end up even faster after shaking out the new technology through the rest of the season.
New tracks
The race calendar is the biggest change weâve seen in a while, with four new circuits that Formula E has never raced on before: Hyderabad, India; Cape Town, South Africa; SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil; and Portland, Oregon.
As with other Formula E seasons, particularly during the time of COVID, the calendar is subject to change. Previously the series planned to race again in Seoul, South Korea, which closed out the last season of racing. But that race had to be cancelled due to renovations and was replaced by Cape Town. But the four new circuits still need to be certified by the FIA for race preparedness, so itâs entirely possible we will see some changes to the calendar.
Hyderabad will host the first Formula E race in India, home of Mahindra racing, a longstanding fan favorite team in the series. Cape Town isnât the first time Formula E has visited Africa â but the other visits have been in North Africa, so itâs the first sub-Saharan site the series has visited. SĂŁo Paulo is the first time Formula E has visited race-obsessed Brazil, a country with a long history and rabid fanbase in motorsport, though the series has visited nearby Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile many times. And Portland will be the fourth location in the United States that has seen a Formula E race, behind Long Beach, Miami and New York. Weâve now seen one race in each corner of the United States. (Sorry middle America â youâre next perhaps?)
Other changes
One long-awaited rule change, at least amongst motorsport fans, is the end of FanBoost.
FanBoost was conceived in the original season of Formula E as a way to drive fan engagement. Fans could vote for their favorite driver on social media and the top three drivers would get a short boost of power they could use at any point during the race.
While it rarely had a big effect on racing, especially in recent years as the boosts got shorter, many motorsport fans immediately dismissed the series thinking that FanBoost sullied the purity of it all (as motorsport fans are wont to say about ⊠almost everything).
As happens every season and even mid-season, drivers have shifted from team to team and even the teams have made some shifts as well.
Defending champion Stoffel Vandoorne, who won last year with Mercedes, has shifted to DS Penske (formerly DS Techeetah), alongside two-time champion Jean-Eric Vergne. Mercedes was last yearâs constructorâs champion, but they have left the series, and their team is now in the hands of McLaren.
In addition to McLaren taking over for Mercedes, weâve had other team changes as well. Nissan has taken full ownership of the e.dams team, the ABT team is back with the help of Cupra after missing last year due to ending their relationship with Audi, DS has cut ties with Techeetah and partnered with Penske instead, and Maserati has taken over the ROKiT Venturi team in their first return to racing as a constructor since the 1950s.
Several drivers have shifted teams or departed the series (including veteran and longtime EV advocate Alexander Sims, who weâre sad to see go). But we want to focus on the two new drivers: Sacha Fenestraz and Jake Hughes.
Fenestraz participated in the very last race of last season (taking over for Giovinazzi after a hand injury), so heâs essentially a rookie this year. Heâs a French former Formula Renault Eurocup champion and has been a Formula E reserve driver for Jaguar for the last few seasons.
Hughes has raced in several series, and is a former champion of the BRDC Formula 4, now known as the GB3 championship, which is the top single-seater racing category in Britain, where Hughes hails from. He served as a reserve and development driver for Mercedesâ team for the last two seasons and will start racing this weekend, with McLaren.
The racing starts on Saturday January 14 at 2:00 pm local Mexico City time, which is noon Pacific Time, 3:00 pm Eastern and 8:00 pm UTC. The race will be aired on CBS Sports Network in the United States (though it looks like it will be shown delayed at 11:30 pm Eastern). Practice sessions will be streamed on YouTube.
If youâre not in the United States, you can check the Formula E website for ways to watch in your country. If you canât find a way to watch the race live, Formula E usually uploads race highlights to their youtube channel within days, though we donât know whether theyâll be posting full races on there as this seems to change season to season.
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Environment
Sunreef Yachts introduces ‘Double Happiness’ â its first 100-foot solar electric ‘supercat’
Sustainable boatbuilder Sunreef Yachts has unveiled another stunning solar electric catamaran, or âsupercat,â which it is calling âDouble Happiness.â This fully-electric yacht is 100 feet, Sunreefâs longest to date.
As weâve pointed out in the past, Sunreef Yachts has been pushing the boundaries of sustainable marine travel since 2002. Over that time, the Polish boatbuilder launched the worldâs first 74-foot luxury oceangoing catamaran with a flybridge.
Over twenty years later, hundreds of Sunreef Yachts can be seen traversing waters worldwide, showcasing the companyâs lineup of sustainable luxury catamarans, all-electric propulsion, and advanced solar panels it calls âsolar skin.â
Over the years, weâve highlighted some of Sunreefâs solar-electric catamarans, ranging in length from 40 to 100 meters, including the Eco Explorer and the 80 Power Eco. Today, Sunreef has introduced its newest addition to its all-electric lineup: a 100-foot catamaran named âDouble Happiness.â
Sunreefâs newest electric yacht boasts length and power
According to Sunreef Yachts, the new Double Happiness is its first all-electric 100-foot yacht to combine cruising and eco-technology. This 100 Sunreef Power Eco supercat is propelled by four 180 kW electric motors and powered by a massive 990 kWh battery pack onboard.
Thereâs also the option for range extension via two generator sets (350 kW at 622 V DC). Additionally, rooftop solar panels (12 kWp) help power some of the onboard electronics. The result is a 16-passenger super catamaran that can accommodate up to ten guides across five en-suites. Given its size, the all-electric 100 Sunreef Power Eco yacht offers vast and luxurious spaces as well as quiet, secluded areas. Sunreef Yachts Founder and CEO, Francis Lapp, spoke:
The first models of the 100 Sunreef Power were a revolution, they offered unbelievable amounts of space, comfort, proximity with the sea, and seaworthiness. With this 100 Sunreef Power Eco, named Double Happiness, we take the 100 Sunreef Power to the next level. Now, this superyacht is able to navigate in full silence, no vibrations, no fumes, fostering a better connection with the sea and superior energy efficiency.
The 100 Sunreef Power Eco joins the boatbuilderâs growing lineup of quiet, emission-free solar-electric catamarans that are not only sustainable but also ultra-luxurious and well-crafted.
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GM may have decided to pull the plug on the forward-looking Chevy Brightdrop electric van a few months ago, but donât let that stop you, but donât let that fool you. Right now might be the best time ever to get your hands on one.
SKIP THE STORY: jump right to the deals (trusted affiliate link).
Itâs hard to overstate how good the deals on Chevyâs Brightdrop got while GM was still trying to build up demand for its fleet-focused van, and now that the company has decided to stop production, the deals have gotten even better, with a newly announced $699 lease for 39 mo. with $2,999 down through January 2nd â and thatâs before you factor in an additional $3,000 discount reserved for Costco Executive Members!
Despite that, Iâve heard more than one fleet manager express hesitation at the thought of adding a discontinued product to their fleet, even if it is a killer discount. To them, I offer the following, model-agnostic rebuttal:
Legacy brands support their products
Companies like GM arenât going anywhere soon, and neither are the customers theyâve spent millions of dollars acquiring over the past several decades. Theyâll keep building parts and offering service and maintenance on vehicles like the Brightdrop for at least a decade â not least of which because they have to!
GM sells each Brightdrop with a minimum 8 year/100,000 mile warranty on the battery and other key components, which can be extended either through GM itself or through reputable third-party companies like Xcelerate Auto for seven more.
There are precious few large fleets out there looking at 15 year, 200-plus thousand mile vehicle replacement cycles. For those that are, however, all indications so far are that the vehicleâs battery health and general performance will still be well within usable limits.
So, yes: parts longevity and manufacturer support will be there (something Iâd be less confident about with a startup like Rivian or Bollinger, for example), but thereâs more.
Section 179 and local incentives
The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) of 2025 gutted Americaâs energy independence goals and ensuring its auto industry would fall even further behind the Chinese in the EV race, but the loss of Section 45W wasnât the only change written into the IRSâ rulebook. Section 179, an immediate expense reduction that business owners can take on depreciable equipment assets, has been made significantly more powerful for 2025.
The section 179 expense deduction is limited to such items as cars, office equipment, business machinery, and computers. This speedy deduction can provide substantial tax relief for business owners who are purchasing startup equipment.
The revised Section 179 tax credit (or, more accurately, expense reduction) allows for a 100% deduction for equipment purchases has doubled to $2.5 million, with a phase-out kicking in at $4 million of capital investments that drops to zero at $6.5 million. That credit and can be applied to new and used vehicles, as well as charging infrastructure, battery energy storage systems, specialized tools, and more (as long as theyâre new to you).
Whatâs more, with regional incentives like the up to $15,000 off a new medium-duty van available from Illinois utility ComEd, the net cost of GMâs $699 promo lease drops to ~$315/mo., and there is still state money out there, as well, depending on where you live.
All of which is to say: donât let a little thing like GM discontinuing the Brightdrop convince you to skip it. If you do that, the bean counters that killed off the Buick Grand National, GMC Syclone, and Pontiac Fiero win.
SOURCE | IMAGES: GM Envolve.
If youâre considering going solar, itâs always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, itâs free to use, and you wonât get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.Â
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and youâll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data released on November 25 and reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign reveal that, during the first nine months of 2025 and for the past year, solar and battery storage have dominated growth among competing energy sources, while fossil fuels and nuclear power have stagnated.
Solar set new records in September
EIAâs latest âElectric Power Monthlyâ report (with data through September 30, 2025), once again confirms that solar is the fastest-growing source of electricity in the US.
In September alone, electrical generation by utility-scale solar (>1 megawatt (MW)) ballooned by well over 36.1% compared to September 2024, while âestimatedâ small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV increased by 12.7%. Combined, they grew by 29.9% and provided 9.7% of US electrical output during the month, up from 7.6% a year ago.
Moreover, generation from utility-scale solar thermal and photovoltaic systems expanded by 35.8%, while that from small-scale systems rose by 11.2% during the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The combination of utility-scale and small-scale solar increased by 29.0% and produced a bit over 9.0% (utility-scale: 6.85%; small-scale: 2.16%) of total US electrical generation for January-September, up from 7.2% a year earlier.
And for the third consecutive month, utility-scale solar generated more electricity than US wind farms: by 4% in July, 15% in August, and 9% in September. Including small-scale systems, solar has outproduced wind for five consecutive months and by over 40% in September.
Wind leads among renewables
Wind turbines across the US produced 9.8% of US electricity in the first nine months of 2025 â an increase of 1.3% compared to the same period a year earlier and 79% more than that produced by US hydropower plants.
During the first nine months of 2025, electrical generation from wind plus utility-scale and small-scale solar provided 18.8% of the US total, up from 17.1% during the first three quarters of 2024.
Wind and solar combined provided 15.1% more electricity than did coal during the first nine months of this year, and 9.8% more than the USâs nuclear power plants. In fact, as solar and wind expanded, nuclear-generated electricity dropped by 0.1%.
Renewables are now only second to natural gas
The mix of all renewables (wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, and geothermal) produced 8.7% more electricity in January-September than they did a year ago, providing 25.6% of total US electricity production compared to 24.2% 12 months earlier.
Renewablesâ share of electrical generation is now second to only that of natural gas, which saw a 3.8% drop in electrical output during the first nine months of 2025. Â
Solar + storage have dominated 2025
Between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025, utility-scale solar capacity grew by 31,619.5 MW, while an additional 5,923.5 MW was provided by small-scale solar. EIA foresees continued strong solar growth, with an additional 35,210.9 MW of utilityâscale solar capacity being added in the next 12 months.
Strong growth was also experienced by battery storage, which grew by 59.4% during the past year, adding 13,808.9 MW of new capacity. EIA also notes that planned battery capacity additions over the next year total 22,052.9 MW.
Wind also made a strong showing during the past 12 months, adding 4,843.2 MW, while planned capacity additions over the next year total 9,630.0 MW (onshore) plus 800.0 MW (offshore).
On the other hand, natural gas capacity increased by only 3,417.1 MW and nuclear power added 46.0 MW. Meanwhile, coal capacity plummeted by 3,926.1 MW and petroleum-based capacity fell by an additional 606.6 MW.
Thus, during the past year, renewable energy capacity, including battery storage, small-scale solar, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass, ballooned by 56,019.7 MW while that of all fossil fuels and nuclear power combined actually declined by 1,095.2 MW.
The EIA expects this trend to continue and accelerate over the next 12 months. Utility-scale renewables plus battery storage are projected to increase by 67,806.1 MW (a forecast for small-scale solar is not provided). Meanwhile, natural gas capacity is expected to increase by only 3,835.8 MW, while coal capacity is projected to decrease by 5,857.0 MW, and oil capacity is anticipated to decrease by 5.8 MW. EIA does not project any new growth for nuclear power in the coming year.
SUN DAY Campaignâs executive director Ken Bossong said:
The Trump Administrationâs efforts to jump-start nuclear power and fossil fuels are not succeeding. Capacity additions from solar, wind, and battery storage continue to dramatically outpace those from gas, coal, and nuclear, and by growing margins.
Read more: EIA: Solar + storage dominate, fossil fuels stagnate to August 2025
If youâre looking to replace your old HVAC equipment, itâs always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure youâre finding a trusted, reliable HVAC installer near you that offers competitive pricing on heat pumps, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to get a heat pump. They have pre-vetted heat pump installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high quality solutions. Plus, itâs free to use!
Your personalized heat pump quotes are easy to compare online and youâll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here. â *ad
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