July 16, 2024 | Volume 20 Issue 27 |
Manufacturing Center
Product Spotlight
Modern Applications News
Metalworking Ideas For
Today's Job Shops
Tooling and Production
Strategies for large
metalworking plants
ABB NASCAR EV Prototype. [Credit: Photo provided by NASCAR]
Motorsport purists may get their feathers ruffled when they hear that NASCAR has teamed up with Swedish-Swiss multinational corporation ABB, a leader in electrification and automation, to produce an all-electric prototype racecar. Fear not, says NASCAR, the famed stock-car race is not going all-electric any time soon -- if ever.
The ABB NASCAR Electrification Innovation Partnership, creator of the new electric vehicle (EV) prototype, revealed the car at the Chicago Street Race on July 7, an annual NASCAR Cup Series street circuit race held in Grant Park.
ABB becomes the first Official Partner of NASCAR Impact, the sanctioning body's platform driving NASCAR's mission "to strengthen its communities and contribute to a healthier planet." As part of the partnership, ABB in the United States will also help NASCAR "achieve public sustainability targets around electrification and electric vehicle charging."
NASCAR says it is committed to the historic role of the combustion engine in racing, so the EV prototype is seen more as a foray into experimental technologies for sponsors and OEMs to get involved with. It is also a way for NASCAR to look at its energy usage and sustainability in its vast operations overall and promote efficiency efforts moving forward.
VIDEO: ABB and NASCAR reveal the EV prototype and the Launch Electrification Innovation Partnership. [Credit: ABB Electrification]
The ABB NASCAR EV Prototype is the latest innovation from the NASCAR Research & Development Center team, which completed the largest overhaul of the NASCAR Cup Series car in NASCAR's 75-year history a few years ago. The Next Gen car, which debuted in 2022, modernized most of the vehicle's components -- and has had its share of controversy, especially regarding safety, which was voiced by the drivers. It also marked NASCAR's rededication to product relevance in ensuring its race cars match production cars on the street as much as possible.
The new EV prototype was developed in collaboration with NASCAR's OEM partners -- Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota -- and was built by the NASCAR engineers responsible for the Next Gen car and the Garage 56 entry into the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Throughout the process, NASCAR and the OEMs collaborated on the design and elements of the vehicle.
ABB NASCAR EV Prototype. [Credit: Photo provided by NASCAR]
The track-tested, electrified stock car has three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors (one front, two rear) supplying power directly to all four specially designed Goodyear Racing Eagle tires. Anchored by a 78-kWh liquid-cooled battery, the tunable powertrain can produce 1,000 kW at peak power. NASCAR says regenerative braking converts kinetic energy into power, making the car ideal for road courses and short oval tracks.
In a change-up, the all-wheel-drive car has a generic crossover utility vehicle (CUV) body made of sustainable flax-based composite. It shares many similarities with both the Next Gen and Garage 56 cars -- the body sits on a modified Next Gen chassis, and the steering, suspension, brakes, and wheels all derive from the NASCAR Cup Series car.
NASCAR says that in addition to the long-term operating emissions goal, its "annual carbon measurement informed near-term sustainability priorities, including sourcing 100% renewable electricity at owned race tracks and facilities by 2028, expanded waste diversion efforts, and on-site EV charging stations. ABB will play a critical role in helping NASCAR by providing valuable guidance, equipment, and support in electrifying key elements of the operational business."
There must have been some heavy pushback from fans, though, because NASCAR released an extra editorial by Zach Sturniolo on it website July 10 to reassure diehard race enthusiasts that the EV prototype was not meant to be a harbinger of an all-electric future for its racing program. Sturniolo wrote, "What remained notable in a sitdown with NASCAR and manufacturer officials at the sport's production facility in Concord, North Carolina, was the reiteration of the current stability of the internal combustion engine that remains synonymous with NASCAR racing."
Sturniolo quoted Pat DiMarco, Ford Performance's manager of NASCAR and analytics, in the article as saying, "The Daytona 500 will (feature) an internal combustion engine for well beyond my (time)."
Sturniolo also said in his article that only one prototype EV vehicle exists and that it "achieved similar lap times at Martinsville Speedway to the modern-day Cup vehicle. Whether anything more significant lies ahead remains to be determined."
Munro Live has a video of the reveal and lots of interviews about the ABB NASCAR EV Prototype at youtube.com/watch?v=T5Ox30SicUo. It's a pretty in-depth presentation.
IndyCar revealed its first hybrid engine the same weekend as the NASCAR EV reveal.
Sources: NASCAR, ABB, NASCAR Zach Sturniolo article
Published July 2024