NASCAR Enters the Electric Era With New EV Prototype

At the Chicago Street Race this weekend, NASCAR showed off an electric race car prototype.

The car is part of a new partnership between NASCAR and ABB, a Swedish-Swiss multinational corporation, that will see ABB help NASCAR achieve public sustainability targets related to electrification and other innovation solutions.

“ABB is an industry leader and will help in efforts to decarbonize our operations as we pursue achieving net-zero operating emissions over the next decade,” says Eric Nyquist, NASCAR SVP and Chief Impact Officer.

The vehicle was created in collaboration with NASCAR’s OEM partners, Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota. It was assembled by the same NASCAR engineers responsible for the Next Gen car and the Garage 56 entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

NASCAR says the vehicle has three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors (one front, two rear) supplying power directly to all four specially designed Goodyear Racing Eagle tires, a 78-kWh liquid-cooler battery, and can produce 1,000 kW at peak power. 

The vehicle’s regenerative braking converts kinetic energy into power, an advantage for racing on road courses or short oval tracks.

While impressive, don’t expect the car to hit the track anytime soon. While NASCAR is exploring the possibilities of electric vehicles, it isn’t planning to bring them to the track just yet.