July 9, 2024 – In the United States, two leaders in their respective industries—electric vehicle technologies and auto racing—announced the ABB NASCAR Electrification Innovation Partnership, and revealed a new EV prototype at the 2024 NASCAR Chicago Street Race.

“The objective of the collaboration between NASCAR, ABB in the United States, and the NASCAR industry is to push the boundaries of electrification technology—from EV racing to long-haul transportation to facility operations,” said Ralph Donati, ABB executive vice-president.

As part of the partnership, ABB will also help the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing achieve public sustainability targets around electrification and EV charging.

ABB becomes a founding partner of NASCAR Impact, a platform driving sustainability initiatives across auto racing. This supports NASCAR’s plan to reduce its own carbon operating footprint to zero by 2035.

NASCAR says it is committed to the historic role of the combustion engine in racing but, through NASCAR Impact (of which ABB is a founding partner), it is also committed to reducing its own carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035 through electrification and “innovative solutions”.

“ABB is an industry leader and will help in efforts to decarbonize our operations as we pursue achieving net-zero operating emissions over the next decade,” said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR senior vice-president.

About the EV prototype

The EV prototype is the latest innovation from the NASCAR research & development team, which recently completed the largest overhaul of the NASCAR Cup Series car in its 75-year history.

The 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.

The 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 1000 kW at peak power.

Regenerative braking converts kinetic energy into power, making the car ideal for road courses and short oval tracks.

The all-wheel drive car has a generic crossover utility vehicle body made of 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.

“While there are no immediate plans for a new racing series, this partnership will allow ABB and NASCAR to explore high-performance electric racing and create strategic opportunities for electrification in the sport, including race vehicles, electrification infrastructure, and energy education,” says Elizabeth Lubben, Electrification Communications Leader, ABB U.S.