When you think of NASCAR, you likely envision roaring, gas-powered engines, but the motorsport series may be embracing change.
As the Associated Press reported, NASCAR unveiled its first electric race car prototype during its Chicago Street Race event in early July. It aims to gauge fan interest in the concept of electric vehicle racing and to put this high-performance EV to the test.
The company has partnered with Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, and electrification company ABB on the project, which looks to increase electric vehicles in racing.
Only semiretired NASCAR driver David Ragan has driven the $1.5 million prototype, and he said it was unlike anything he's experienced. He explained that he could hear the squealing tires and smell the brakes.
That's unusual in NASCAR, since the sound of gas-powered engines coupled with the smell and heat from their toxic exhaust tend to overpower everything else.
Eric Warren, head of global motorsports competition for General Motors, surveyed NASCAR fans and found that more than half would be interested in buying an EV if they were exposed to them through racing.
"We're committed to electric vehicles," Warren said, according to the AP. "Racing gives a great platform to discuss a lot of those concepts and educate fans. It's a laboratory for us to try some new technologies and learn as we educate."
"I think it's pretty cool that they're stepping into the newer age, where all the stuff's going electric," teen Dean Radejewski said at the Chicago event, per the outlet.
Formula E, the first global sport to be certified with a net zero carbon footprint, has already been doing some of that work, but its reach is significantly less than that of the famous stock car race series.
NASCAR has its own plan for sustainability. It aims to use sustainable fuels and 100% renewable electricity at its tracks by 2028. Plus it wants to reduce operating pollution to net zero by 2035.
That's good news. Burning one gallon of gasoline produces about 19 pounds of damaging carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, so imagine how harmful an entire race is. As a whole, the U.S. transportation sector accounts for 28% of the country's planet-warming pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
While companies such as Ford have dabbled in electric rally race cars, others add more powerful road versions to their lineups to lure motorheads into the electric fold.
"Fans want to have some connection or relationship to the race car," Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports, told the AP. "As more and more customers are buying all-electric vehicles, there will be, we believe, a growing number of people that want to watch full electric racing."
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