Ford Mustang Predicts Future of Racing with EV Prototype for NASCAR

Ford unveiled Thursday what the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV would look like as a NASCAR race car.

The prototype is designed to look like a Mach-E, but is actually built around a carbon fiber tub chassis with components from current NASCAR Cup Series cars, including suspension, brakes, steering and wheels, the company said, Ford said in a brief statement.

NASCAR has unveiled its own electric SUV prototype for 2023 that will have no manufacturer-specific styling. The Mach-E prototypes share some of the same specs in that they both have tri-motor powertrains and 78 kwh battery packs, but Ford has not commented on these similarities. The powertrains differ from the Mach-E road car, which is currently sold with single and dual motors and 72 kwh or 91 kwh battery packs.

Dressing up a bespoke design like the Mach-E fits the current NASCAR template where race cars are designed for the series but branded as road cars that fans can purchase. the “S” and “C” in NASCAR stand for ” stock car,” but as anyone who has seen Days of Thunder knows, there is no such thing as a stock car.

Mach E also shows why NASCAR chose the SUV body style for its EV prototype. If Ford were to race a stock electric car today, it would have to wear the Mach-E badge by default because it is the brand's only EV other than the F-150 Lightning pickup truck. Ford is also keen to enhance the Mach-E's performance, and in 2020 it unveiled a wild Mach-E demonstrator with seven motors and 1,400 horsepower to show off the performance potential of its electric powertrain.

Ford showed that the Mach-E prototype could be driven in some kind of competition or on the track with longtime NASCAR driver David Ragan at the wheel.

It is unclear, however, whether the Mach-E will have a chance to race; reports in 2022 indicated that NASCAR was planning an electric car series, but the organization has made no official announcement, saying only that it aims to achieve zero emissions over the next decade. However, the fact that Ford has followed NASCAR's general EV prototype with one badged as the Mach E indicates that things may be moving forward.