Nissan’s Formula E Team has delivered outstanding performances throughout the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season, leading the standings in all three categories: Teams, Drivers, and Manufacturers. This remarkable success reflects the team’s long journey of continuous development and unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of electric racing forward. As of now, after 11 races, Nissan continues to hold the top position in the championship standings.
Nissan Journey in Formula E
Nissan began its journey into electric motorsport with its official entry into the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Season 5 (2018/19), becoming the first and only Japanese automaker in the series. Since then, the Nissan Formula E Team has continuously improved its race performance and strategy. In the current 2024/25 season, led by Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato, the team has delivered outstanding results with four victories and remains the only team to secure podium finishes at every race so far.
This remarkable performance was most vividly demonstrated at Round 9 of the Tokyo E-Prix, Nissan’s home race, where the team secured a win, a podium finish, and a double pole position, propelling them to the top of the standings in all three categories: Teams, Drivers, and Manufacturers.
For Nissan, Formula E is far more than a racing stage — it’s a proving ground for the future and a reflection of the company’s philosophy, “Dare to do what others don’t.” It’s a commitment to bold innovation, spanning technology, motorsports, and the development of next-generation EVs under the long-term vision of Nissan Ambition 2030. Reinforcing this leadership, Nissan was also the first manufacturer to officially confirm its participation in the upcoming GEN4 era through 2030.
Formula E: A Live Laboratory for EV Innovation
Formula E presents one of the most demanding and unconstrained testing environments for electric vehicle technology. Nissan uses this platform to trial the limits of its electric motors, energy management systems, and thermal control which the challenges not easily replicated in conventional road testing. Strategic energy optimization becomes a key differentiator in the GEN3 era, where all teams use a standardized battery. Here, Nissan draws on its deep expertise in electric powertrains, backed by insights from more than 16 billion kilometers driven by LEAF owners worldwide, insights that help shape its racing technology.
In return, the team will transfer critical findings from the racetrack, such as regenerative braking performance, motor responsiveness and brake force distribution back to Nissan’s R&D division to accelerate the development of future EVs and e-POWER models. At the same time, Nissan has invested in a new Formula E team headquarters in southern Paris, equipped with state-of-the-art simulation labs, workshops, and engineering facilities. This setup streamlines the innovation pipeline from racetrack to road, ensuring real-world application of racing technologies.
Data: The Driving Force of Progress
In today’s high-stakes, data-driven racing world, Nissan Formula E relies heavily on real-time telemetry to inform every decision. Acting as the team’s eyes and brain, the system collects data from over 1,000 points on the racecar each lap including monitoring battery temperature, energy consumption, regenerative braking, brake balance, tire load, and suspension behavior in every stage of the track.
What sets Formula E’s telemetry apart is its combination of high speed and precision, giving engineers near-instant visibility into vehicle dynamics while the race is still ongoing. These insights are processed in real time, enabling engineers to adjust strategy on the fly, from energy fine-tuning and lap-by-lap performance analysis to decisions around Attack Mode and energy deployment.
As Cristina Mañas Fernández, Head of Performance and Simulation at Nissan Formula E, explains, “Having precise telemetry allows engineers to immediately correlate engine data with driver feedback, making it a critical tool in deciding how the car should be adjusted in the next lap to maximize performance without compromising balance.”
From the Racetrack to R&D
Formula E has become a vital bridge between motorsports and automotive R&D for Nissan. With full control of the team in the GEN3 era, Nissan strategically appointed Tadashi Nishikawa — a veteran engineer with over 20 years of experience — as Chief Powertrain Engineer to lead the knowledge transfer between the two worlds. One of the most tangible outcomes of this integration is the development of the Nissan e-4ORCE 05 powertrain. Derived from the e-4ORCE system found in Nissan’s flagship consumer EVs, this advanced power unit is designed for precision torque distribution and high-efficiency energy management under intense race conditions.
The e-4ORCE 05 system has become a cornerstone of the team’s success this season, playing a key role in securing Nissan’s lead across all three championship categories. More importantly, it exemplifies how racetrack innovation can directly influence and inspire the design of future EVs for everyday drivers.
Formula E and Its Nissan’s Ambition 2030
Nissan’s participation in Formula E is a key strategy in bringing its Ambition 2030 vision to life — a vision that aims to create a world with zero emissions, zero fatalities, and equitable access to electric mobility. This goes beyond developing cutting-edge technologies; it involves transforming mindsets and reshaping the entire automotive ecosystem.
In such a high-pressure and competitive environment, Nissan is committed to using Formula E as a platform to develop solutions that can be transferred into commercial EVs. The company plans to launch over 20 new EV and e-POWER models globally by fiscal year 2026, with a target of making 50% of its global sales from electrified vehicles by 2030.
Nissan is also laying the foundation for the future with its All-Solid-State Battery (ASSB) technology, which is expected to be deployed in real-world applications by fiscal year 2028. This innovation is set to become a major turning point in the EV industry — particularly in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, including Thailand, where EV adoption is still in its early stages and requires solutions that are affordable, accessible, and easy to use.
Nissan’s Formula E journey is more than a pursuit of victories — it’s a system accelerator that connects the racetrack, the research lab, the factory, and society. It reflects the brand’s unwavering spirit to “Dare to do what others don’t,” breaking conventions to build a better future. Every lap, every data point, and every innovation reaffirm Nissan’s commitment to driving the automotive industry forward — toward a smarter, cleaner, and more sustainable tomorrow.
