Over the 4th of July weekend, NASCAR showed off a new all-electric race car prototype at the Chicago Street Race.
As PC Mag reports, the car is part of a new partnership between NASCAR and ABB, a Swedish-Swiss multinational corporation that calls itself a global leader in electrification and automation. The vehicle is part of the two company’s ABB NASCAR Electrification Innovation Partnership.
Through the partnership, ABB will help NASCAR achieve public sustainability targets related to both electrification and innovation solutions.
“There could not be a more optimal moment in time to announce our first Impact partner than in tandem with the debut of the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype at the Chicago Street Race,” said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer. “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.”
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.
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Photo Credit: DANIEL HUERLIMANN-Beelde / Shutterstock.com