NASCAR hints of a future involving hydrogen

As battery electric vehicles (BEV) sales slump across the globe, NASCAR’s recent unveiling of their BEV prototype race car may have hit a silent note.

NASCAR’s zero-emissions announcement with their “quiet-car” proposal was met with loud gasps by die-hard American fans of the sport.

The current 5.86L V8, which reaches up to 130 decibels of noise whilst being pushed north of 10,000 rpm, are part and parcel of the excitement of racing.

As NASCAR – like many racing organisations – look to reduce their carbon footprint to net-zero by 2035, they are exploring other options to keep NASCAR in its purest form.

Although the current focus is on BEV, NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer John Probst said “We’re looking at all things combustion from sustainable fuels to hydrogen to things electrified.”.

Don’t worry NASCAR fans, it doesn’t look like a decision has been made on those silent, mosquito-sounding, electric engines just yet.

Probst went on to say: “There’s a long, long road ahead for the combustion engine, be it powered from sustainable fuel, or hydrogen, for that matter. That’s something else that we’re very interested in”.

The beauty of the hydrogen internal combustion engine is that it keeps that glorious sound of a highly powered motor, whilst also being clean for the environment and nothing but a little bit of H2O dribbling out the tailpipe.

With Toyota being one of the manufacturers in the NASCAR hotseat, it might not be too long before they offer up a collaborative opportunity to work on their own hydrogen combustion engine with the other participating teams.

Toyota has been happy to lead the way in the hydrogen internal combustion engine scene for some-time, even announcing almost a decade ago in 2015 that they were happy to provide their patents royalty free to any manufacturer.

Akio Toyoda, the former Toyota CEO and current chairman, has consistently opposed manufacturers solely concentrating on BEVs, noting earlier this year that “hybrid vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, and hydrogen combustion engine vehicles will still constitute 70% of the automotive market.”.

Whilst there is no-doubt a home for a BEV vehicle, we’re not convinced that it’s home is on track racing in the NASCAR Daytona 500. Keep those engines loud and proud, NASCAR.