E-xcitement For EV: How NASCAR's Newest Project May Ring In A New Era
When NASCAR showcased in Chicago the unveiling of the EV Prototype, with many people had mixed reviews about the series latest project.
Obviously, for the traditional NASCAR fan, this a true pivot from your usual combustion engine that you see in all three of the major series that NASCAR offers. But, there is a shift in the way motorsports is being presented.
In almost all of the major series, hybrid systems are becoming the new concept,
Between F1, IMSA and IndyCar, all three of the series are or will be transitioning to hybrids over the next few years.
Now that electric racing is becoming more prominent and add that with the addition of hydrogen coming into the fold, the technology advancements are skyrocketing in motorsports.
The question is: How will a NASCAR EV car fit in the fold for the future of the series?
There will be a lot of questions asked but its definitely an exciting prospect.
EV Series?
An EV Series seems inevitable for NASCAR in the coming years.
With their commitment to sustanability in racing, NASCAR and electric seem the be a match made for the next several years in the sport.
While this is something that won't be seen in a while it is inevitable this series will be in motion.
The product of an EV Series will still be top notch though.
The performance of one of the more prolific all-electric series, Formula E, has showcased the power and range of what an e-motor looks like. Next season, Formula E's Gen 3 EVO will go 0 to 60 in 1.8 seconds, a massive feat given where the technology was a few years ago.
Prospectively, having an all-electric series may bring manufacturers in such as Honda, Jaguar, Porsche, Tesla and other brands that NASCAR may have never imangined jumping in with them.
But with major car icons making switches over to electric, the marketing and resources of having their emblem on a all-electric NASCAR makes for quite the buy from a manufacturers side of things.
New Kids On The Block
With this new EV car for NASCAR, it wouldn't surprise anyone if we see some new drivers and tracks incorporated with the debut of this car.
This car seems like it would cater towards road course racing, given that we have really only seen all-electric racing succesfully competeted on road/street circuits.
Range and energy durability shouldn't be a problem given how advanced the systems are but the car seems to cater more towards road course racing.
It would be neat to see the car on the high banks of Daytona or at other iconic NASCAR Cup Series tracks, but the car may not get the best performance out of competing on those circuits.
The EV car may be able to compete on circuits such as Martinsville or short tracks that would be more ideal for the energy battery in the car.
Also, assuming the car will be different in regard to the shifting and driving style, it may be a chance to see a different crop of drivers.
Obviously, Formula E drivers would be a great fit given the electric racing background, but maybe we could see drivers from IMSA, IndyCar, F1 and other racing disciplines.
Having an EV car can bring a lot of diversity to NASCAR.
Final Thoughts
The effects of an EV car in NASCAR will be felt once it is fully ready to hit the track in race competition.
It will be a long road until this car will be fully prepared to hit the track, whether an oval or a road circuit, but it will bring a lot of positives to the sport.
The overall design of the car isn't the sportiest, almost resembling a hatchback, but the performance of the car is unmatched.
However, NASCAR shouldn't replace the current Cup car with the EV car.
While the EV car would be groundbreaking, having it replace the current day Cup car may not appeal the current NASCAR audience.
Even though the series is working on approaching a younger audience, the EV car may not cater to a involved NASCAR fan.
A Hybrid NASCAR may be more ideal for the series, catering to all parties, but an all-electric NASCAR stock car seems to be on the horizon in some way,