IndyCar confirms postponement of hybrid debut until after Indy 500

On Dec 7, 2023

The NTT IndyCar Series has made the decision to delay the introduction of its energy recovery system.

“The much-anticipated debut of the new power unit is expected to launch after the 108th Indianapolis 500, during the second half of the 2024 IndyCar Series season,” the series confirmed.

The call comes one year and one day after IndyCar announced it would be halting the introduction of its new 2.4-liter twin-turbo V6 engines in favor of continuing with its 2.2-liter motors and having Chevrolet and Ilmor Engineering, and Honda and Honda Performance Development, reassign their sizable new 2.4L motor creation budgets to designing and making new supercapacitor-based ERS units for 2024.

“The partnership between Chevrolet and Honda has been phenomenal,” said IndyCar president Jay Frye. “The IndyCar-specific hybrid power unit is dynamic and an engineering marvel, and we’re completely committed to its successful introduction next season.”

The delay is the third on record for the series; its future move to hybridization was presented in May of 2019.

Ongoing ERS testing will take place next season, and once the units reach a level of reliability that meets the standards set by its makers, mass production will begin and the series will enter a new era of hybrid competition in June at Detroit or one of the other events left on the calendar.

As expected, teams will race through Indianapolis with their cars in full 2024 specification – albeit without the ERS units — which includes a range of lighter componentry throughout the chassis.

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