The world is slowly but surely making progress towards a future where all vehicles on the road run completely on renewable energy. To keep up with this change, sporting series such as Formula 1 and NASCAR have been dipping their toes into EVs and hybrids as well. The EV prototype that NASCAR introduced in 2024 gave an idea about what green energy-powered cars in the Cup Series might look like.
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Interestingly, when the Next Gen car was introduced, there were also discussions about taking a step towards hybrid vehicles before fully adopting an all-electric system. So realistically, how far away are we from that intermittent solution? NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell was asked about this during the recent State of the Sport address and questioned if the current political climate has slowed things.
O’Donnell replied, “I would say it slowed down in general, not necessarily political climate, but discussions with our OEMs. I would say ABB has been an incredible partner when we look at the electronification model. We’ve learned a lot and showcased that we can do some things, show it to the fans, and show what kind of things might happen. From there, you get into discussions about what could be a hybrid.”
The EV prototype has made way for NASCAR to discuss all the other options out there, including hydrogen-powered vehicles. O’Donnell further admitted that they have been studying the IMSA keenly to learn from it. Whatever step is taken next, he wants it to work in the long term. If it doesn’t, they will be back to square one and will have to start all over again.
O’Donnell continued, “Steve talked about Ram coming in and the potential for new OEMs coming in. All that conversation is happening now to make sure that whatever model we put in place is something that our GM folks there in the back can go out and sell more vehicles based on what’s happening on track. That’s the ultimate goal for us.”
What’s even more interesting in light of his words is that the Next Gen is designed to be EV and hybrid-proof. The design of the car is such that it can be modified into either type with just the addition of a few bits and pieces of electric parts. So, when NASCAR and the fandom are ready to take that all-important next step, the Next Gen car will be waiting on the finish line already.
