More and more car companies are starting to shift greater resources toward the development of electric (or at least hybrid) vehicles, and this is a trend NASCAR is not ignorant of. During an interview with TechCrunch, NASCAR senior VP of Racing Development John Probst said hybrid vehicles could begin showing up in the organization's races as soon as 2022.
The end goal, Probst claims, is to move toward fully-electric vehicles. However, for now, that's little more than a far-off dream – NASCAR still has a ways to go before even hybrid vehicles have a serious place on its racecourses.
Apparently, the organization aims to wait until the "Next-Gen gas race car" guidelines release in 2021 before it begins pushing for hybrid vehicles with more gusto.
At the moment, NASCAR feels hybrid vehicles may not perform their best on all types of race tracks. Instead, the organization is looking at shorter tracks for the vehicles. In that environment, drivers could use the regenerative braking capabilities of a hybrid to gain a strategic edge. More testing and research will be required before NASCAR can come to any firm conclusions, though.
Either way, it's interesting to hear that the motorsports industry is looking to go green down the line. We look forward to reporting on NASCAR's progress in the months (and possibly years) to come.