Ford on Thursday unveiled a prototype Mustang Mach-E electrical SUV outfitted for NASCAR racing.
The prototype, revealed at a preview occasion for the automaker’s 2025 motorsports actions, is a Mach-E in title solely and does not have a lot in widespread with the Mach-E street automobile. It combines Mach-E model bodywork with a carbon-fiber tub chassis and parts from a present NASCAR Cup Collection race automobile, together with suspension, brakes, steering, and wheels, Ford stated in a quick assertion.
Three motors offered an undisclosed quantity of energy for the Mach-E electrical race automobile, with vitality provided by a 78-kwh battery pack. That is in between the 72-kwh Normal Vary pack and 91-kwh Prolonged Vary pack at the moment provided within the Mach-E.
The Cup Collection is the highest rung of the NASCAR ladder, and it at the moment options purpose-built race vehicles powered by massive thirsty V-8 engines, emitting a great deal of noise, gasoline fumes, and tailpipe emissions. Preliminary pictures Ford launched with the prototype present a great deal of tire smoke. NASCAR hasn’t even gone hybrid but, and whereas hybrid race vehicles had been introduced years in the past they have been delayed to 2027 on the earliest.
Ford Mustang Mach-E NASCAR Prototype
Ford Mustang Mach-E NASCAR Prototype
Ford Mustang Mach-E NASCAR Prototype
This configuration suits with NASCAR observe. NASCAR might stand for “Nationwide Affiliation for Inventory Automotive Auto Racing,” however there is not something “inventory” in regards to the vehicles. They’re designed for the collection’ rule set however styled to seem like vehicles followers should purchase.
The three-motor powertrain and 78-kwh battery pack match the top-level specs given for a generic electrical SUV prototype NASCAR first confirmed in 2023. That prototype, which additionally featured sustainable bodywork made with flax, hinted at a path ahead for making the collection greener, in line with a carbon-emission discount purpose adopted in 2023. All present Cup Collection producers additionally promote electrical SUVs—Ford has the Mach-E, Chevrolet has the Blazer EV, and Toyota has the bZ4X—so rebranding for every will not be a problem.
NASCAR hasn’t given any indication of when it’d undertake electrical vehicles, though leaked paperwork hinting of plans for a standalone electrical collection started in 2022. For now, the NASCAR Mach-E joins a rising assortment of Ford electrical prototypes, together with the seven-motor Mach-E 1400, displaying that electrical autos might be quick and enjoyable.
