Nascar, ABB Reveal Prototype EV Race Car

Nascar and ABB have announced the ABB NASCAR Electrification Innovation Partnership with a new electric vehicle prototype. This makes ABB the first official partner of the Nascar Impact, which advances the racing league’s strategic sustainability ambitions.

Nascar’s plans are to decarbonize its operations and reduce its carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035. The ABB Nascar EV Prototype is the latest step in doing so after the R&D team at Nascar completed the largest overhaul of the Cup Series car in the league’s 75 year history. The Next Gen car, which debuted in 2022, modernized almost all of the vehicle’s components to better match modern emissions and technologies in “stock” vehicles today.

The EV Prototype was developed in collaboration with ABB, Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota and was built by Nascar engineers. The track-tested, electrified stock car has three STARD UHP 6-phase motors (two in the rear, one up front) and a 78 kWh liquid-cooled battery. The system can produce 1,000 kW at peak power output and the car’s regenerative brakes add power back during braking.

The flax-based composite materials that make up the body are similar to those used in Next Gen and Garage 56 cars and the chassis is a modified Next Gen design. Steering, suspension, and wheels are all from the Cup Series cars.

The ABB Nascar EV Prototype was shown in Chicago at the Chicago Street Race this past weekend. It will be shown at other events as Nascar moves forward with its environmental initiatives.