Formula E’s new car is all-wheel drive and accelerates faster than F1
Formula E unveiled its new “Gen3 EVO” car, an update to the Gen3 car which debuted last season, ahead of the Monaco ePrix this weekend.
The new car will be used for next season, and is basically a mid-cycle update of the Gen3 car which has been in service for last and this season. The succeeding Gen4 car is not expected until 2027.
The Gen3 car was introduced as both lighter and more powerful as the previous generation car, with a lot of promises about how much quicker it could be in the races.
It also utilized some pretty unique design ideas. The biggest difference is the addition of a front motor, but this motor was only used for braking, and conversely, the rear friction brakes were entirely deleted and instead the rear axle is braked only by the rear motor using regenerative braking, for a total of 600kW regenerative braking power.
However, The Gen3 didn’t turn out to be all that much faster. This often happens with new racecars as teams get used to tuning and using them, but teams struggled to harness the extra power available to them.
At the same time, the series switched tire providers, and the new tires may have proven to be a limiting factor.
Now, the Gen3 car is hoping to fix both of these problems at once. Not only has Hankook provided stickier tires (with 5-10% more grip, and made of 35% recycled materials) which should help to harness some of the car’s additional power, Formula E has also taken the rather unique move (in the world of formula cars) of activating the Gen3 car’s front motor for thrust, not just regen – thus making its cars all-wheel drive.
The Gen3’s inclusion of a front motor left many thinking – ourselves included – that it would inevitably get activated not just for regen, but for power delivery.
There have been all-wheel drive single seater open wheel cars in the past, but it has only been tried a few times. Currently, other open-wheel single seaters (like F1, IndyCar and the like) are rear-wheel drive only.
AWD has been popular on road cars recently, because it enhances acceleration and drivability. And on EVs, it’s quite easy to add, because you can just slap a second motor on the other axle and run a few cables to it, rather than needing to run driveshafts and gearing mechanisms all through your car to transfer the power from a single combustion engine to two separate axles.
However, sportscar and racing enthusiasts have often preferred rear-wheel drive because it makes cars more squirrelly and difficult to control, showcasing driver skill more readily.
So Formula E is going to allow all-wheel drive only in certain situations. During qualifying duels, race starts, and during the activation of “attack mode,” a temporary 50kW power boost that each driver gets at certain points in the race.
One complaint about the Gen3 cars was that attack mode was hard to use, because the car felt like it couldn’t properly utilize that additional 50kW. By activating the front motor, this should give drivers a huge advantage – quicker acceleration through and out of corners is an enormous benefit.
While 0-60 numbers don’t matter a lot for a racecar – they’re only ever at 0mph at one point, at the start of the race, after all – acceleration is still important for exiting corners, and gives you a lasting benefit for the entire straight if you can get a better exit than another racer. And the Gen3 EVO boasts a truly impressive 0-60 number: 1.82 seconds.
This 0-60 time is 30% quicker than an F1 car and 36% quicker than the Gen3 car, thanks to that front motor helping pull the car forward with 4 contact patches instead of 2.
In addition, the design of the car has changed somewhat. The nose and front wing have been redesigned from the (perhaps overly) angular design of the original Gen3 car. Over the last season and a half, cars have struggled with front wing damage, so hopefully the new wing will be a little more durable.
All told, Formula E says that the new car could be 1-3 seconds faster per lap, depending on circuit and whether the AWD system is in use. This would be a pretty massive improvement as far as laptimes go, but we’ll have to see how it plays out when next season comes around.
Now, if only we could also see that 600kW mid-race charging they’ve been working on…
The new Gen3 EVO car will start seeing use next season, but if you want to see the current Gen3 car in action, you can watch it this weekend at the Monaco ePrix.
The race proper starts at 6am PDT, 9am EDT, 1pm UTC, and 3pm local Monaco time on Saturday April 27. In the US, all sessions other than the race will be available on the Roku channel, practice sessions will be on Formula E’s YouTube, and the race will be on CBS/CBS Sports Network. To see how to watch the race in other countries, head on over to Formula E’s Ways to Watch site.
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With 615 horsepower, the Cadillac Lyriq-V is the quickest Caddie to date. Cadillac’s first V-Series EV will outsprint a CT5-V Blackwing, and it can be yours for under $80,000.
The 2026 Lyriq-V EV is the fastest Cadillac ever
We knew it was coming soon. Cadillac teased the Lyriq-V for the first time in late October, giving a sneak peek at its first electric V-Series vehicle.
Cadillac’s performance brand is known for iconic sports cars like the CT5-V Blackwing, but the new EV pushes the “V-Series sub-brand to new heights,” boasted John Roth, vice president of Global Cadillac.
As the first EV to wear the V-Series badge, Cadillac promised the Lyriq-V would be powerful, but we didn’t know it would be this fast.
Cadillac officially introduced the 2026 Lyriq-V on Thursday, revealing additional specs, prices, and more. With an estimated 615 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque and a standard dual motor AWD powertrain, the EV is expected to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds, making it the quickest Cadillac to date.
At that speed, it would outrun the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing with a 0 to 60 mph sprint time in 3.4 seconds. Although the CT-5 packs slightly more horsepower (668 hp), the Lyriq-V’s EV powertrain unlocks more powerful, instant acceleration.
The added power is enabled by an added Velocity Max feature, which “unleashes the vehicle’s full performance capability” with a surge of power and acceleration.
Interior and exterior design, prices, and features
The V-Series model differs from the traditional Lyriq with a lower center of gravity and custom front and rear bumpers. It also features V-Series badging on the rear doors and tailgate, V-pattern mesh on the lower grille, and 22″ wheels with the logo etched into the side.
Inside, the performance EV borrows features from the Lyriq, such as a panoramic fixed glass roof, a 23-speaker AKG sound system, and a massive 33″ LED display screen.
Cadillac distinguishes the V-Series from the traditional Lyriq by adding the V-Series logo, a V-mode button, and a sports rim with hand grips. Other unique features include a custom infotainment experience with a “V-Series persona,” a signature V-Series illuminated sill plate and V-pattern detailing on the seatbacks.
A 102 kWh battery pack is expected to provide a range of up to 285 miles. The 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V starts at $79,990, including the destination fee.
In comparison, the Tesla Model Y Performance starts at $51,490 and has an EPA-estimated range of up to 277 miles. It also includes AWD and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds.
Cadillac’s new performance EV will be sold in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Other markets will be announced closer to launch. GM will begin producing the new Lyriq-V at its Spring Hill, TN, manufacturing plant in early 2025.
What do you think of the Cadillac’s new performance EV? Would you buy one for $80,000? Or are you sticking with the Model Y Performance? Drop us a comment below to let us know.
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Tesla has announced some important price hikes across its entire lineup in Canada amid incentives going away and a struggling Canadian dollar.
The Canadian EV market is already having problems amid announcements that the federal incentive program will be eliminated. The same thing is happening to Quebec’s own program, which was the most generous in the country—making the province the leader in EV adoption in Canada.
Now, Tesla, which sells more EVs than anyone in Canada, announced that it is increasing prices on all its lineup.
Here are the price increases for each Tesla model:
- Model 3:
- Long Range RWD: $4,000
- Long Range AWD: $8,000
- Performance: $9,000
- Model Y: $4,000
- Model S: $4,000
- Model X: $4,000
Buyers can still get $1,300 CAD off of new Model Y, Model S, or Model X purchases with a referral code.
Tesla never comments on price changes and therefore, we don’t know the official reasons for these specific price increases, but we can make some educated guesses.
First off, the Canadian dollar has crashed in comparison to USD over the last few months:
Furthermore, the timing of announcing that the price increases will take place on February 1st has led some to link this to the upcoming tariff wars that President Trump signaled against Canada.
The US President said that he plans to impose 25% tariffs on any goods coming from Canada, and Canada said that it would retaliate.
Electrek’s Take
Obviously, this is not good for the EV market in Canada.
The removal of incentives is already hurting the market, and now the base price of the most popular EVs in the country, Tesla vehicles, is also going up before incentives.
This will be a bad year for EVs in Canada.
Hopefully, things will settle down and we will get more clarity once the tariff war actually starts.
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