NASCAR reveals electric race car prototype

NASCAR revealed its first electric race car Saturday as part of a new partnership that aims to reduce the organization’s carbon footprint and advance sustainability goals.

The prototype was launched in collaboration with global engineering company ABB, which will help NASCAR achieve public sustainability targets around electrification, according to a NASCAR press release.

“While NASCAR is committed to the historic role of the combustion engine in racing, it is also committed to decarbonizing its operations and reducing its own carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035 through electrification and innovative solutions,” NASCAR said.

The electrified stock car, developed in collaboration with Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota, can produce 1,000 kW at peak power and features three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors, a 78-kWh liquid-cooled battery, and regenerative braking.

NASCAR wants to portray electric vehicles in racing as cool, fun, and accessible, Riley Nelson, NASCAR’s head of sustainability, told the Associated Press.

“It’s our goal to entertain fans,” John Probst, NASCAR’s senior vice president and chief racing development officer, told the outlet. “If our fans tell us this is what they want to see, we know how to create a racing series around pretty much anything.”

“The objective of the collaboration between NASCAR, ABB in the United States, and the NASCAR industry is to push the boundaries of electrification technology, from EV racing to long-haul transportation to facility operations,” Ralph Donati, ABB’s executive vice president, said in a statement.

NASCAR aims to reduce its operating emissions to net zero over the next decade, source 100% renewable energy at its race tracks and facilities by 2028, and introduce sustainable racing fuel, according to its press release.

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The organization launched its new prototype in Chicago ahead of its Chicago Street Race.

U.S. electric vehicle sales rose 7% in the first half of the year, while sales of gas-electric hybrids shot up by more than 35%, the outlet reported.