NASCAR’s stock car concept could show what the future of the sport holds
- NASCAR just debuted its EV stock car concept
- The prototype brings massive performance gains
- Its electric powertrain produces 1,341 hp
Published on Jul 09, 2024 at 5:29 PM (UTC+4)
by Siddharth Dudeja
Last updated on Jul 09, 2024 at 9:19 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
NASCAR is pushing further towards sustainability, and the racing series just unveiled its first EV stock car concept, a crossover SUV.
While this approach is a step towards the future of electric American racing, the good ‘ol V8 engines aren’t going anywhere just yet.
The racing series chose a street race event in Chicago to debut the car so the world could look at it, and it certainly feels like they’re onto something here.
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The NASCAR EV stock car concept brings more power
NASCAR partnered with a technology marque called ABB, which is the official Formula E title sponsor, to bring the stock car concept to fruition.
From a concept car that was reported last year to launch in late 2023, the prototype is here after some delays.
Moreover, the most interesting thing about this new EV concept is its performance gains.
Powered by a 78 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the electric powertrain produces a massive 1,341 horsepower (1,000 kW).
Now, that number is well above the performance of any ‘regular’ V8-powered stock car we’ve seen before.
The total power output is shared between three electric motors — one for each rear wheel and the last one for the front axle.
Despite its crossover SUV-like appearance, it’s fast — and track-tested.
Future of the racing series
The NASCAR EV prototype is also different than most recent cars we have seen in the racing series.
That’s because while some other stock cars also have a chassis based on the Next Gen race car, this EV prototype features a modified version of the same chassis.
However, beyond the body, the insides — including the steering, suspension, wheels, and brakes — are the same as the current Cup Series champion.
Although this car takes a bold step towards the future of the racing series, NASCAR said it will keep working with the V8s because of its history.
That is until they complete the R&D and perfect the upcoming electric cars.
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