NASCAR is talking about adding electric cars.
 

So they add and electric car, lets look at a race. The most common race is a 500 mile distance on the circular track. I do not think that there is any sudden changes on the near horizon about the electric motors or batteries. So lets break the race time down. Under high power load electric motors draw a lot of current. I will assume a 200 mile range on a full charge, and a top speed of 200 MPH for the electric car. To get the 500 miles you will need to start with a full charge, then do another full charge, and a half charge to complete the 500 miles. Driving time at 200 is 2.5 hours. One full charge is 4 hours, and a half charge is an additional 2 hours. That gives a total time for a 500 mile race of 8.5 hours.
Now lets take (your choice) a Dodge Neon, a Chevrolet Cobalt, a Ford Fusion, or a Toyota Camry. That car should be able to hold a steady 90 MPH around the track. The tires will not be under extreme stress so any good quality road tire should be able to go the distance. Drive time would be 5.55 hours. Fuel stops should not take more than 45 minutes. That gives a total race time of 6.3 hours. I think gas wins the race.

I’ll make sure to be busy with something else on race day.

When they started telling me how I should think, I turned them off, not going back ever. I only have followed NASCAR since I was 12 years old, at 67 (2 years ago) I was done with them. For 55 years I was a loyal fan, no more.

They can race power wheel electric kiddie cars for all I care. First it was ethanol so they didn't pollute, now it's electric that is primarily produced from fossil fuels.......Bill France has to be spinning in his grave.

Imagine the deafening roar of an electric car when the commentators yell at the TV cameras "CRANK IT UP"!!!

They're worried about being woke, hopefully they'll go broke. Only a moron would cut their own throat like these idiots are doing.....ROTFLMFAO.....:pound:

Ya can't fix stupid......:rolleyes:

I'm Pretty sure they would have sort of quick change battery to eliminate the need to charge, But ya Why would
they do that??

Formula E drivers just hop into another waiting car. :doh:

The horror. :gag:

"Gentlemen ( or a myriad of Letters from the alphabet)
Check your batteries"
I can see the barrels of Ice from the Donahue crew in '68 all over again, cooling down batteries..

The average age of NASCAR fans is rising. They see that as bad, and want to throw all of you away - replaced by skinny jean wearing hipsters.

Hey, it worked so well for Oldsmobile…

Assume the Electric Racear battery (or batteries) is allowed to be swapped at each pitstop, then they must reduce the pitstops to be on par with gas racecars.

I assume the batteries are 5x heavier than the gasoline.
I assume the total power density needed for 400HP (average) across 8.5hours is:

BATT Power Density = 8.5 hours x 300,000Watts = 2.6 M WH or 2600 KWh

How are the batteries looking?

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In reality, an electric racecar with a gasoline powerplant that uses exhaust to "turbo-drive" compact, hi-rpm generators can achieve >200 KW. THAT is a system. Just don't let off the gasoline pedal.

I could see a series for electric run on Saturday just like the others. I think if they ever go all electric nascar would come to a crashing end for now anyway 10-20 years down the road who knows. The end of race yesterday was awesome I know that.

Considering how easily they light up, there ought to be some spectacular crashes.

HMM 4 wheels and a battery ,only RC cars tweak my interest. The sport lost me and a bunch of friends when the race format was changed.
I understand the new evolution of cars , kinda makes economic sense and safety has increased which is the right move.
To even consider going electric will see the series evaporate.
I will stick to real drag cars , but that may see a change too.

MotoGP which is the top level motorcycle road racing in the world has had an electric class for probably six years now. They are very fast ... typical race distance for all their races of any class is only about 80 miles, speed ranging from 30 mph to 200 mph. So battery power isn't much of an issue.

Personally I haven't found them interesting enough to watch a whole race yet. Kind of boring in comparison to the gas bikes making close to 300 hp and hitting 14,000 rpm or more.

But, with all racing the tech tends to trickle down ... so the electric class can only help develop the technology if nothing else.

They're just looking into the idea, and have said there are no plans to replace the premier series. I assume it would be a short track series, something similar to Formula E.

In the name of "safety", I see them becoming remotely controlled. Big slot cars.:)

Actually that might be fun to watch .... there would probably be a lot more fender banging ..... and they could have fan participation races where they let the fans race the cars :)

"NASCAR's exploratory interest in an all-electric series was first reported a year ago, as NASCAR was exploring the concept as a potential companion to the Cup Series. Speaking Thursday, O'Donnell framed the prospect of an all-electric division as an exhibition series that would complement existing racing technologies."

"There's a huge push across all of our OEM partners and even new OEM partners. It's important for us to explore that space,"

I think this thread is missing a lot of context. So these are actual quotes.

For one, I dont see anything where they are looking to replace the current product. Its about a companion series. Second, the driving force is from the OEMs to showcase their products. Which makes sense.

Nascar seems to me like its been struggling for a while. Trying to attract new fans, with lots of rule changes. They have to know that as a fan experience removing the v8 RPM sound would kill them off. That said they have been coasting on engine technology that is antiquated except for with GM. I would love to see them go back to win on Sunday buy on Monday. I want to see GM/Dodge/Ford/Toyotas current NA V8 technology go head to head. An electric division might actually do that, which would be kinda neat.

I really doubt a radical "all at once" type of revolution will happen in NASCAR. As a casual fan, I may tune in for part of a race now and then. I doubt that will change for me personally. Some type of super capacitor addition to the gas engine or a hybrid gas engine with an electric boost motor will likely happen first. But if it cost as much as the ultra complex F1 cars, I don't see it. Most of us never expected a NASCAR "stock car" to have IRS and a transaxle, but they have them now. I am a dinosaur and that's OK.

The thought of watching racing without the roar and thunder part and only hearing tires noise is too hard for me to grock....

What if it's an electric that self-identifies as gas? It can then use the filling or charging station of it's choice. Oh, wait, no it can't.

It's just 10 years ago that NASCAR went to fuel injection, so any switch to electric is most likely a long ways off.

Heck, they just went to 18" wheels this year from 15's.

I'd be willing to bet it's at least a decade in the future, if not 2 or more.

They could always pipe that in through the PA system. Didn't some early EVs have fake engine sounds at some point?

Not just EVs... several modern performance cars have "enhanced engine sounds" played through the stereo. My CT6-V does, although I can't tell what's real and what's memorex from in the seat.

I don’t really follow nascar, if it’s in at a bar I will watch it but that’s about it.

What happens when GM and Ford are all electric yet their race cars run on gas? I know that not all NASCAR teams use their own engine technology but I doubt most people know or care. Now their race teams using an ICE engine while all of their consumer vehicles use batteries is a different look.

Maybe they could incorporate something like this for engine noise?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sIZM8Tmtpo0

I don't care what sounds they make, or don't make. I don't want one.

Well, it's going to be awhile before (if ever) Ford, GM and Toyota (they race in NASCAR too) don't have any ICE vehicles.

It may happen in my lifetime, but I doubt it.

The only constant in life is change. Rarely is it embraced by all.
This has been coming for some time. But what was once way out on the horizon, is now nearing our doorstep. I don't like it, but I don't fear it. In this case, we know that racing improves the breed. So if anything, they will get more efficiency and possibly more power from the propulsion system.
No matter what, though, I doubt that the racing competition will lead to the discovery of a new battery, which is the one and only thing holding the industry back.

Man has been racing in some form or another for all recorded history. They race each other on foot, horseback, and any way they can. So this is just another extension of competition. I doubt it will replace gas powered auto racing. The car did replace the horse for everyday transportation for the most part, but we are still racing horses.

Makes sense. fire hurts their bottom line. And speaking of revenue, they might
as well clear grandstands in advance, toxic clouds hurt profits too. Make the fans
watch remotely. And then DeepFake everything.

You could even stage a contrived slap for when ratings are at an all time low. :first:

One of the benefits of racing is the technology eventually trickles down to passenger cars. Theoretically, you could use the EV series as a testbed for "battery swap stations". Whereas the current technology for both batteries and charging is not on par with ICE, where you can fill up the tank in 5 minutes and keep on going, you can test the possibility of quick change battery packs. Pull up to the "gas station", have the pack swapped for a fresh one, and off you go...

Theoretically, of course.:D

Electric cars in NASCAR?

As if I needed another reason not to watch.

Big Bill and Bill, Jr. are spinning in their graves...

Hopefully they're properly balanced and do not exceed redline.

New Tom Cruise movie days of lightning?

Put 'em all on lead cords. That solves the battery problem. ;) :rolleyes:

Im not going to hold my breath.The new car has brought the best Cup racing in a LOT of years!Tom

Why not take a step further, and drive them remotely from the comfort of their lazyboy, and incorporate anti collision tech as well! That way, it'll be as boring as a tennis match!

Aaaaand, how will they address cleaning up all the toxic heavy metals spewed onto the race track surface and into the spectator filled (if any) grandstands when the "big one" happens at a place like Daytona?

I predict sponsorships by Duracell, Energizer and Ray-O-Vac. I also predict that I would never go to another Nascar race. However they are finding some success with EV’s in drag racing. Still, if my sinuses don’t sting and eyes don’t water up from the nitro fumes it’s just not as much fun.


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