The hybrid Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray has been banned from competition events held by one of the largest Corvette owners clubs in the US – amid fears race tracks don’t have the specialist equipment to fight battery fires.
The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray hybrid supercar has been banned from taking part in ‘weekend warrior’ race-track events by one of the biggest Corvette owners clubs in the US.
The hybrid supercar has been sidelined by amateur motorsport organisers from competing in motor racing circuit time trials – and also instructed owners to park further away from their V8 counterparts in the pit area amid fears over a fire risk.
US publication Corvette Forum reports the National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) has excluded hybrid and electric cars – such as the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray – from its race-track events.
The NCCC – which has more than 17,500 members across the US – recently updated its 2022-2023 competition rule book to include the new provisions, while enforcing a nine-metre minimum distance between hybrid and petrol-powered cars parked at its sanctioned events.
“Electric vehicles/hybrids using lithium type battery packs are prohibited (from participating in) competitive events,” the NCCC’s amended competition rule book says.
“If driven to NCCC events, they (hybrid and electric cars) should be parked 30 feet (nine metres) minimum from structures or other vehicles.”
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Lithium-ion batteries – such as those which power the Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray’s electric motors – contain a flammable electrolyte fluid which can become pressurised if the battery cells are damaged, resulting in a more intense fire than a petrol engine.
These ‘thermal runaway’ fires cannot be extinguished with the same equipment as those used to put out a traditional car fire, requiring not only specialist equipment but also specific training to manage the higher temperatures and potential for electric shocks.
While the National Council of Corvette Clubs’ competition rulebook did not explain why hybrid and electric cars had been excluded from certain events, a lack of specialist equipment and training required to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires could explain the ban.
Earlier this month, Summit Point Motorsports Park (SPMP) in West Virginia announced it had “halted the use of electric and hybrid electric vehicles in all motorsports disciplines” held at the circuit.
The race track’s owners told US publication Grassroots Motorsports the decision to exclude electrified vehicles from competitions followed a review of its emergency support and response requirements.
“SPMP’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 vehicle industry to better support the motorsports community,” the circuit’s director of motorsports operations told Grassroots Motorsports.
In July 2022, Motorsport Australia – Australia’s governing body for racing – released its electric vehicle regulations to prepare its competitors and officials for electrified cars on track.
Venues which host Motorsport Australia-sanctioned racing events which involve hybrid or electric cars are required to provide a water bath or have a high volume water supply to extinguish electrical fires.
Circuits have also been obliged to install high voltage rescue hooks which can be used to pull away people who have been shocked by an electric vehicle without being affected themselves.
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