Formula E, or, by its official name the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. So, it should come as no surprise to know that the safety car will also be an electric car. This season the responsibility goes to the Porsche Taycan and the official racetrack debut will happen at the opening round of the Formula E season on 28/29 January in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.

What will be distinctive for the Porsche Taycan Safety Car?

The new Taycan Safety Car will feature a unique paintwork: it pays tribute to all the eleven teams competing in the championship, but also to FIA and Formula E. The car will wear number 22 - the numbers of the drivers that will compete in the series this season.

According to the Formula E regulations, the interior will be equipped with a roll cage, racing bucket seats with six-point seatbelts and wire harnesses for the safety car lighting and the Marelli Logger System.

The car will also get flashing lights integrated in the bumpers, a fire extinguisher and a high-tech communication system.

The car is based on the Taycan Turbo S so it will deliver a total of 750 horsepower and will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds. Top speed is 161 mph - good enough figures to do a great job as a safety car.

“We’re proud that Formula E has entrusted a Porsche with this task – one that is important for the safety of its drivers,” says Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President Porsche Motorsport. “With the Taycan Turbo S as the official safety car, we’re making an important contribution to track safety and also underlining the importance of Formula E for Porsche Motorsport. The distinctive design illustrates our commitment to the successful future of this innovative racing series. Although we’re rivals out on the track, we’re spreading this message to the world together. What’s more, we hope that this also enables us to appeal to a younger target audience who are not yet motorsport fans.”