NASCAR is one of the most popular racing series, especially in the United States, where cars compete against each other. While the series is dominated by internal combustion engine-powered vehicles, all-electric vehicles appear ready to debut at NASCAR. But the electric car won’t be competing in actual races. Instead, it will be used for practice pit stops, claims manufacturing team Joe Gibbs Racing. What is certain, however, is that the electric car was developed with the racing series eventually going all-electric in the coming years.
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The race team showed off its all-electric Toyota TRD Camry NASCAR on Twitter. It also claims that, although this will be operated by NASCAR teams, the EV is not suitable for racing. Instead, team staff will use the electric car to practice pit stops.
It’s odd to watch an all-electric, silent car at a NASCAR race track, since an electric car makes no sound other than the screech of its tires during emergency braking. It’s hard to imagine America’s premier racing series without the roar of the V8 engine, the flames of the exhaust and the smell of burnt gasoline.
The race team also gave us a glimpse of the EV charging cable and high-voltage battery pack mounted on the floor of the front passenger area of a regular vehicle. Joe Gibbs Racing claims that the reason for developing the EV was convenience. The team previously trained on a stock car similar to the Gen 6 model that has raced in the series for nearly a decade. However, as NASCAR moves to a more complex and expensive next-generation car in 2022, the race team decided to build an all-electric race car for its pit crews.
The manufacturer claims that this electric vehicle has unique advantages. One of them is that it is more affordable to build an EV than a Gen 7 NASCAR model with traditional ICE. Plus, the EV is quiet and has a green powertrain. Matt Osborn, the race team’s sporting director, told Road & Track that it’s much cheaper to build an electric car than a real NASCAR Gen 7 model for practice pit stops. Plus, he wants electric cars to be more durable and less expensive to maintain in the long run.
First published date: December 14, 2022 at 14:09 PM CST
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