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This weekend was yet another historic one for the US’s famous Nascar racing series as an electric car led the pack for the first time in the series’ history.
The Ford Focus Electric pace cars, after being unveiled in a public ceremony, were ready to take up their spots as their debut runs pace cars for the Nascar Sprint Cup event in Richmond, Virginia.
The two Focus Electrics performed the pace-car duties at the Capital City 400 event, where they became the first all-electric vehicles to do so.
Eric Kuehn of Ford Global Electrified Programmes was on hand for the unveiling: “It was a special moment for Nascar fans across the country, Virginians and the Ford family on Saturday night when the Focus Electric completed its first lap as the official pace car for the Capital City 400.”
'PERFORMANCE AND FUEL-EFFICIENCY'
“As Ford and Nascar made history with the first all-electric pace car, we also demonstrated to thousands of race fans and millions more on TV that you can combine performance and fuel-efficiency,” Kuehn added.
Mike Lynch, Nascar’s managing director of Green Innovation pointed out that the use of the Focus Electrics as pace cars also marked another historic event in the sport’s history.
“The arrival of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric pace car is a strong example of how the innovation cycle around green transportation is accelerating,” Lynch said.
“The Ford Focus Electric was held to the same highly demanding standard of any pace car, and more than met the performance requirements. Seeing it on the track at Richmond International Raceway will be another historic moment for our sport.”
Previously, Ford was the first manufacturer in Nascar to compete with a four-door sedan as its flagship model in 1998, while it was also first to use a hybrid to start a Nascar event when the Fusion Hybrid served as pace car for a 2008 event.
The Ford Focus Electric pace cars, after being unveiled in a public ceremony, were ready to take up their spots as their debut runs pace cars for the Nascar Sprint Cup event in Richmond, Virginia.
The two Focus Electrics performed the pace-car duties at the Capital City 400 event, where they became the first all-electric vehicles to do so.
Eric Kuehn of Ford Global Electrified Programmes was on hand for the unveiling: “It was a special moment for Nascar fans across the country, Virginians and the Ford family on Saturday night when the Focus Electric completed its first lap as the official pace car for the Capital City 400.”
'PERFORMANCE AND FUEL-EFFICIENCY'
“As Ford and Nascar made history with the first all-electric pace car, we also demonstrated to thousands of race fans and millions more on TV that you can combine performance and fuel-efficiency,” Kuehn added.
Mike Lynch, Nascar’s managing director of Green Innovation pointed out that the use of the Focus Electrics as pace cars also marked another historic event in the sport’s history.
“The arrival of the 2012 Ford Focus Electric pace car is a strong example of how the innovation cycle around green transportation is accelerating,” Lynch said.
“The Ford Focus Electric was held to the same highly demanding standard of any pace car, and more than met the performance requirements. Seeing it on the track at Richmond International Raceway will be another historic moment for our sport.”
Previously, Ford was the first manufacturer in Nascar to compete with a four-door sedan as its flagship model in 1998, while it was also first to use a hybrid to start a Nascar event when the Fusion Hybrid served as pace car for a 2008 event.
