NASCAR unveiled its electric race car prototype over the weekend, marking a significant step in the company’s efforts to reduce emissions and increase electrification in the sport.
The “ABB NASCAR EV Prototype” was created in NASCAR’s partnership with Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota and electrification company ABB to advance the racing company’s sustainability goals, including achieving net-zero operational emissions within the next ten years, NASCAR said in a statement.
The reveal of the $1.5 million prototype took place in downtown Chicago last Saturday, the day before NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race.
“The goal of the collaboration between NASCAR, ABB in the United States and the NASCAR industry is to push the boundaries of electrification technology, from electric vehicle racing to long-distance transportation and facility operations,” said Ralph Donati, executive vice president of ABB, in a statement.
NASCAR noted that it remains “committed” to the legacy role of combustion in racing, and is also focused on decarbonizing its operations and reducing its carbon footprint to zero by 2035.
They want to portray electric vehicles and, more broadly, electrification in racing as cool, fun and affordable, Riley Nelson, NASCAR’s head of sustainability, told the Associated Press.
Semi-retired NASCAR driver David Ragan was the first to drive the car and told the news outlet that the EV’s sound and smell were unlike anything he had observed since he began racing at age 11.
The electrified stock car can produce 1,000 kW at peak power and has regenerative braking to make it ideal for road courses and short oval tracks, NASCAR said. It is a crossover utility vehicle with a large wing at the rear to increase its aerodynamics.
If electric vehicles became more common on NASCAR race tracks, events would certainly be quieter, without the typical roar of engines at the start of the race.
John Probst, NASCAR senior vice president and chief racing development officer, told the AP he believes the company could reinvent the fan experience, including the possibility of a DJ.
“Our goal is to entertain our fans,” he said. “If our fans tell us this is what they want to see, we will know how to create a race series around just about anything.”
The prototype comes amid a broader push toward electric vehicles, including that of the Biden administration, which published a new rule earlier this year that could make a significant portion of the new vehicle market electric or hybrid by 2032.
Overall U.S. electric vehicle sales rose 7 percent during the first half of the year, the AP reported, citing last week’s preliminary numbers from Motorintelligence.com. EVs accounted for 7.6 percent of the U.S. new vehicle market, about the same as all of last year, the news agency added.
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