By Aja Cousin
Medill Reports
As engines roared to life in preparation for the 2024 Chicago Street Race, this year’s buzz wasn’t just about speed and competition. NASCAR unveiled its Electrification Innovation Partnership with automotive company Asea Brown Boveri on the Saturday morning before The Loop 110 and introduced the sleek, electric vehicle prototype.
“The objective of the collaboration … is to push the boundaries of electrification technology, from EV racing to long-haul transportation to facility operations,” said Ralph Donati, ABB executive vice president, as he stood beside the shining all-electric car.
NASCAR committed last spring to zero operating emissions by 2035. Since then, organizers and stakeholders have focused on reducing their events’ environmental footprint. ABB, a multinational corporation that supplies robotics, power and digital technologies, is now the inaugural official partner of NASCAR Impact, supporting the organization’s ambitious sustainability goals. These efforts include the engineering marvel of the electric race car, which boasts 1300 horsepower.
“I think every company should aim to get to zero emissions as fast as possible,” said Anastasia Montgomery, a greenhouse gas research scientist at Crosswalk Labs. “If NASCAR finds a reasonable pathway that is quick and effective, then it is a good policy for everyone to pursue, but we need more than NASCAR to commit to a deadline if we want a difference in climate outcomes.”
According to Montgomery, NASCAR’s switch to all-electric vehicles won’t drastically change climate change because its impact is relatively small in comparison with global emissions. However, the change will continue to help local communities.
A study published by the Journal of Human Resources showed NASCAR’s 2007 decision to use unleaded gas significantly benefitted academic performances in nearby schools. The study surveyed students’ test scores from the early 2000s through 2014 that steadily increased as lead emissions decreased. The NASCAR Green Initiative, which started a year after the transition to unleaded fuel, included many community members and company partnerships missioned to replant trees and advocate for sustainability practices.
Amid the out-of-town fans who traveled to watch the series, NASCAR invited Chicago community members to participate in the action as well. The NASCAR Impact team welcomed Chicago Boys and Girls Club members to unveil the car, symbolizing the next generation of innovative thinkers. Boys and Girls Clubs across the city have partnered with NASCAR to implement education and workforce training initiatives at the community centers in addition to NASCAR’s programs with Chicago Public Schools.
“We can provide our members with unique STEM and workforce readiness programming that allows them to explore their interests and passions,” said Gabriella Lothamer, Boys and Girls Club Chicago communications manager, “and even learn about paths they haven’t thought of before.”
In eighth-grade classrooms, students dive into engineering programs, where hands-on projects are intended to ignite their passion for innovation. Meanwhile, high schoolers immerse themselves in workforce training programs, readying to shape the evolving automotive industry. Although STEM professionals were the primary audience at the EV car reveal, the youth are the true torchbearers of this green revolution.
The success of the 2024 race in Chicago won’t be measured just by the checkered flag. As the engines hum with a new kind of energy, motorsports spectators, community advocates and environmentalists will be watching to see if NASCAR keeps its word. Montgomery questioned how the racing company plans to self-enforce its mission.
“This plan is self-paced, self-constrained and self-enforced,” Montgomery said. “Are they going to pay a penalty if they don’t reach their 2035 mission like what happens with government-regulated enforcement, or does nothing happen?”
These electrification efforts signal a new direction for the sport. The journey toward zero emissions is a long one, and every effort counts, not just for NASCAR but for the communities and the environment that will benefit as well.
Aja Cousin is a sports media graduate student at Medill. You can follow her on X and LinkedIn.
