NASCAR hatches an EV racer prototype. It's a crossover

NASCAR's long-awaited electric race car concept has broken cover, but the vehicle has taken the shape of a crossover, a pivot from what is touring racetracks nationwide.

The stock-car series said the three automakers running in the series — Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota — collaborated on the development of the vehicle while NASCAR engineers from its research and development center built it.

NASCAR said the prototype has three motors with one in the front and two in the rear. Power is sent to all four tires.

There is a 78-kilowatt-hour liquid-cooled battery that NASCAR said can produce 1,000 kW, or around 1,341 hp, at peak power. The car's regenerative braking converts kinetic energy into power, the series said, "making the car ideal for road courses and short oval tracks."

Race cars in the Cup Series, NASCAR's highest level, are powered by V-8 engines producing up to 670 hp.

NASCAR switched to what it refers to as its "Next-Gen car" for the 2022 season with bodies that more closely resemble production vehicles.

The prototype's body, featuring generic decals for the grille, headlights and taillights, sits on a modified chassis of what NASCAR is running while the steering, suspension, brakes and wheels derive from the current Cup Series car. The body is made from a flax-based composite. At the rear is a large wing.

NASCAR unveiled the prototype July 6 in Chicago where the series was holding its second Chicago Street Race. While the series is largely associated with large oval tracks such as Daytona International Speedway or Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR has added new circuits and venues to its calendars in recent years.

NASCAR driver David Ragan conducted demonstration runs of the EV in Chicago. The Associated Press said Ragan is the only person who has driven the vehicle.

NASCAR said it remains committed to the internal combustion engine in racing, but also said it is committed "to decarbonizing its operations and reducing its own carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035 through electrification and innovative solutions."

To that end, NASCAR said it is partnering with Swiss industrial group ABB to reach sustainability targets around electrification and EV charging.

"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 executive vice president, said in a statement.

David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development U.S.A., speaking with a small group of media this year at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona in Florida, said motorsports is not immune to the need to be more sustainable and more carbon neutral as signs proliferate that the planet is warming and climates are changing.

"We also recognize that we can't not do anything," he said.