NASCAR and its partners hope to demonstrate an ultra-performance electric vehicle and gauge fans’ interest in electric racing in the future.CJ Tobin, senior engineer of vehicle systems, cleans a prototype of the first electric racecar at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C., July 1, 2024race is hearing the engine roar, the rumble of each car’s approach and the zip when it whizzes past at more than 150 mph.
Ragan said the sound and smell were unlike anything he has experienced since first hitting the racetrack at age 11. He could hear squealing tires. He could smell the brakes. In gasoline-powered cars, the engine’s sound and smell and heat from the exhaust overpower everything else. But after hundreds of laps, this time Ragan’s ears weren’t ringing. It was really wild, he said.
“We’re committed to electric vehicles,” Warren said. “Racing gives a great platform to discuss a lot of those concepts and educate fans. It’s a laboratory for us to try some new technologies and learn as we educate.”A prototype of the first electric racecar is displayed at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C., Monday, July 1, 2024.
“I think it's pretty cool that they're stepping into the newer age, where all the stuff's going electric,” Radejewski said. “I feel like it's going to be maybe a bit more reliable, maybe a bit safer, too, since less fuel to light on fire.”A prototype of the first electric racecar is displayed at the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C., Monday, July 1, 2024.“It would be more racing to watch,” he said. “So even better.