NASCAR is contemplating an electrical racing sequence
A prototype electrical SUV race automobile was revealed in July
The electrical NASCAR race automobile prototype’s physique panels have been made out of crops
NASCAR shocked attendees at its July Chicago Road Race with an electrical SUV prototype race automobile, however the powertrain and physique model weren’t the prototypes solely uncommon options.
The NASCAR EV Prototype additionally featured bodywork from Swiss agency Bcomp that comes with flax, which Bcomp claims is a sustainable different to the carbon fiber used all through motorsports as we speak, with an general carbon footprint 85% smaller with an identical degree of stiffness.
NASCAR electrical race automobile prototype (picture through Bcomp)
That stiffness is thanks partly to an interior construction impressed by the vein construction of leaves, Bcomp mentioned in a weblog put up. The flax fibers used on this materials—which takes the type of a material that may be layered and molded into form like carbon fiber or fiberglass—is grown in Europe with out competing with meals crops, based on the corporate’s web site.
In April 2023 NASCAR dedicated to its first long-term carbon emissions purpose and “the start of a brand new period in sustainability for America’s high motorsport.” That included a purpose to chop its carbon footprint to zero throughout its core operations by 2035.
NASCAR electrical race automobile prototype (picture through Bcomp)
Flax-based bodywork might make a small contribution towards that purpose with much less shock than switching from the present race vehicles—which characteristic loud, thirsty V-8 engines—to one thing like the electrical SUV prototype. The prototype has all-wheel drive and three six-phase motors—one in entrance, two in again—probably producing greater than 1,300 hp. A 78-kwh battery pack, together with regenerative braking, make the SUV “best for highway programs and brief oval tracks,” NASCAR beforehand mentioned.
The SUV physique model of the prototype is almost an enormous a change as its electrical motors, however is extra consistent with automaker’s present lineups. NASCAR just isn’t giving a timeline of when it’d introduce electrical race vehicles, but when it did it’s simple to think about the prototype being reskinned as a Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet Blazer EV, or Toyota bZ4X in line with NASCAR’s present observe of racing vehicles branded as ones followers should purchase.
