- NASCAR is considering an electric racing series
- A prototype electric SUV race car was revealed in July
- Prototype Body Panels for Electric NASCAR Racecar Made from Plants
NASCAR surprised attendees at its Chicago street race in July with electric SUV prototype racing carBut the powertrain and body style aren’t the prototype’s only unusual features.
The NASCAR Electric Car Prototype also features a signature bodywork from Swiss company Bcomp incorporating flax fibre, which Bcomp claims is sustainable alternative to carbon fiber used in motorsports today, with an 85% lower total carbon footprint at similar stiffness.
NASCAR electric race car prototype (image via Bcomp)
That stiffness is partly thanks to an internal structure inspired by the vein structure of a leaf, Bcomp said in a blog post. The linen The material used in this material—which comes in the form of a fabric that can be layered and molded into shapes like carbon fiber or fiberglass—is grown in Europe without competing with food crops, according to the company’s website.
In April 2023, NASCAR committed to its first long-term carbon emissions target and “launched a new era of sustainability for America’s premier motorsport.” That includes a target to cut zero carbon footprint across its core operations by 2035.
NASCAR electric race car prototype (image via Bcomp)
A flax body could make a small contribution to that goal, with less of a shock than the transition from today’s race cars—with their noisy, gas-guzzling V-8s—to something like the electric SUV prototype. The prototype has all-wheel drive and three six-speed motors—one in the front, two in the back—that produce more than 1,300 horsepower. A 78 kwh battery packNASCAR has previously said that, along with regenerative braking, makes the SUV “ideal for conventional and short oval tracks.”
The prototype’s SUV body style is almost as big a change as its electric powertrain, but it fits more in with the automaker’s current lineup. NASCAR hasn’t given a timeline for when it might introduce electric race cars, but if it does, it’s easy to imagine the prototype being rebadged as Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolet Blazer Electric Caror Toyota bZ4X In keeping with NASCAR’s current practice of having branded race cars that fans can purchase.
