banned EV cars from competition

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From: https://www.hemmings.com

The National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) and Summit Point Motorsports Park have banned EV cars from competition. See more below.


Why the Corvette E-Ray is Banned from National Corvette Club Competitions

Competition bans may become more common for other battery-powered sports cars

Purchasing a Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray may not be the best road for driving enthusiasts to take. Finding out what the 655-horsepower EV Corvette can do on-track just got more complicated. The National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) recently updated its 2022-2023 competition rulebook to include the banning of all EVs and hybrid vehicles from all track competitions. Those who just want to take their new Corvette E-Ray to show off in the parking lot, then go spectate, think again: E-Ray Corvettes are also forbidden to park within 30 feet of other vehicles or structures.

Section 1.8.1 item 14 of the NCCC’s updated rulebook reads; “Electric Vehicles/Hybrids using lithium type battery packs are prohibited in competitive events. If driven to NCCC events, they should be parked 30 feet minimum from structures or other vehicles.”

The NCCC isn’t the only organization to ban electric and hybrid vehicles from competitions. As reported by Grassroots Motorsports, the Summit Point Motorsports Park, a popular West Virginia racetrack, also recently enacted a ban of EVs and hybrids. The Director of Motorsports Operations at Summit Point Motorsports Park, Edwin Pardue, commented; “Summit Point Motorsports Park’s decision to take a ‘tactical pause’ in halting the use of electric and hybrid electric vehicles in all motorsports disciplines at our location is purely based on ensuring we establish an EMS response policy and procedure based on technical knowledge provided by the electric and hybrid electric vehicle industry community to better support the motorsports community.”

It's difficult to speculate how long the bans will last, and more organizations could follow suit. But why are electric and hybrid vehicles being banned from racing competitions? No, it’s not because the rest of the racers driving gasoline-powered performance cars are afraid of losing to EV power, though that’s an intriguing argument. The main reason is the risk of running with lithium-ion batteries. If a failure occurs or if the battery is damaged during a crash, the danger of high-temperature fires and continuously exploding battery cells from an affect called thermal runaway is high.

Did you know it can take thousands of gallons of water to put out an electrical fire caused by lithium-ion batteries?

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) highlighted the risks of battery-powered vehicles a couple years ago, and that was just for EVs driving normally during daily transportation. Racing these vehicles pose an even higher risk when you consider higher running temperatures and additional stress on the electrical system, not to mention the risk of damage due to collision or going off-course.

Most facilities are not equipped to handle the fire potential that these lithium-ion battery powered vehicles carry, and it’s an organization’s responsibility to put rules in place to protect its members. How many organizations will put bans in place and how long each ban lasts likely depends on when track facilities and firefighters will be equipped with safer, more efficient ways of extinguishing battery fires. Until then, if racing and track competitions are a main goal, it may be best to stick with gasoline-powered vehicles for full-throttle fun.