NASCAR Unveils Its First Electric Race Car

CHICAGO — Part of the experience of a NASCAR race is hearing the roar of the engine, the rumble of approaching cars and the acceleration as they fly past at more than 150 miles per hour.

NASCAR unveiled its first electric race car in downtown Chicago on Saturday, but there was no thunder when the marshal said, “Drivers, start your engines.”

It’s buzzing.

North America’s premier motorsports series has partnered with Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota and electrification company ABB to unveil a high-performance electric vehicle and gauge fan interest in electric racing.

They want electric vehicles, and electrification more broadly, to be seen in racing as something cool, fun and accessible, said Riley Nelson, NASCAR’s head of sustainability.

The Associated Press got its first look at the $1.5 million prototype. The only person who has driven it was semi-retired NASCAR driver David Ragan. The plan is to put the car on a Chicago street circuit for a few quick laps Sunday morning.

Ragan said the sound and smell were unlike anything he had experienced since he first stepped onto a racetrack at age 11. He could hear the screech of tires. He could smell the brakes. In gasoline-powered cars, the sound of the engine, the smell and the heat from the exhaust overwhelmed everything else. But after hundreds of laps, Ragan’s ears weren’t ringing this time. It was truly wild, he said.

Unlike typical sports coupes, the new car is actually a crossover utility vehicle. A huge wing at the back makes it aerodynamic enough to be a race car.

It accelerates almost twice as fast as the best gas-powered race cars and can stop almost instantly. But its lap time at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia was two-tenths of a second slower because it corners slower because it’s heavier. Ragan said it could go even faster; he wasn’t pushing the limits of the one-of-a-kind vehicle. Taking risks is for racing, not testing, he said.

Eric Warren, who heads General Motors’ global motorsports operations, said market research has shown that more than half of NASCAR’s die-hard fans would be more interested in buying an electric vehicle if they saw one at a race. The key message is to take care of energy and optimize it, he said.

“We’re committed to electric vehicles,” Warren said. “Racing provides a great platform to discuss a lot of these concepts and educate fans. It’s a laboratory where we can try out new technologies and learn while we educate.”

Burning the gas pollutes the air and produces carbon dioxide, which warms the atmosphere and leads to more extreme weather. Burning one gallon produces about 19 pounds of carbon dioxide, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Races consume thousands of gallons per weekend.

The event would certainly be quieter if there were more electric cars, although many fans love the roar of the engines when the green flag drops.

A group of children, including children of ABB employees, removed the cover from the car as part of the unveiling before Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series stop. Dean Radejewski, 16, of Chicago, stopped to look at the car as he drove through the area near Buckingham Fountain.

“I think it’s pretty cool that they’re entering a new era where everything is going electric,” Radejewski said. “I feel like it’s going to be maybe a little more reliable, maybe a little safer because there’s less fuel to light the fire.”

Radejewski was also intrigued by the possibility of creating a NASCAR EV racing series.

“There would be more racing to watch,” he said. “So that would be even better.”

If NASCAR goes electric, John Probst, NASCAR senior vice president and chief racing development officer, said he thinks they could redefine the fan experience. One option could be a DJ.

“Our goal is to entertain our fans,” he said. “If our fans tell us that’s what they want to see, we know how to create a racing series around almost anything.”

NASCAR isn’t the first motorsport organization to venture into electric racing. Formula E is an all-electric racing series that began a decade ago. But its fan base is much smaller than NASCAR’s.

The new car is part of NASCAR’s broader sustainability plan. ABB is now NASCAR’s official electrification partner, helping NASCAR bring in more electricity from renewable sources.

NASCAR also owns 15 tracks in the U.S., many of them on major thoroughfares. ABB plans to install its electric vehicle charging stations at those tracks and connect them to the grid. They will be compatible with regular electric cars and accessible to everyone, not just race spectators.

By 2028, NASCAR says it will introduce sustainable racing fuel, recycle at all events and use 100% renewable electricity at its facilities and tracks. By 2035, the company aims to reduce its operational emissions to “net zero.”

That’s why the number 35 appears on the black, white and red car, along with ABB. The car’s body is made of plant materials, a flax-based composite from the Swiss company Bcomp, and not the typical carbon fiber composite.

NASCAR is also exploring racing hydrogen-powered cars. NASCAR’s sports car series, IMSA, switched to hybrid engines in 2023. The rival IndyCar racing series will debut hybrid engines this weekend in Ohio. Formula 1 plans to use the sustainable fuel in all of its cars by 2026 as part of new engine regulations.

Ford Performance has independently built eight state-of-the-art electric demonstrator vehicles over the course of four years.

“Fans want to have some connection or relationship with the race car,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “As more and more customers purchase all-electric vehicles, we believe there will be more and more people who want to watch all-electric racing.”

U.S. electric vehicle sales rose 7% overall in the first half of the year, according to preliminary calculations from Motorintelligence.com on Tuesday. Electric vehicles accounted for 7.6% of the U.S. new-vehicle market, about the same as they did in all of last year.

ABB Executive Vice President Michael Plaster hopes that kids who see the new car at NASCAR events will ask questions about the transition to a future that runs on clean electricity and perhaps one day want to work on electric products and solutions. ABB is investing billions to grow its business in the U.S.

“In terms of generating interest and attention and creating a forum for discussion about this whole energy transformation, I can’t imagine a better way to do it,” Plaster said.

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McDermott reported from Providence, R.I. AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer contributed to this report.

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