Skip advert
Advertisement

Nissan's electric Le Mans racer

The Nissan ZEOD RC will race at the 2014 Le Mans 24 hours with an electric powertrain

Nissan announced at Le Mans that it will enter 2014’s race with an experimental car that will use electric power. The ZEOD RC will utilise lithium battery technology seen in the Nissan Leaf and will be capable of 186mph-plus.

Although the racer has no direct links to the much acclaimed DeltaWing, it does share the same chief designer, Ben Bowlby, and strongly resembles its predecessor, although various design changes including a newly closed cockpit to meet new rules.

Advertisement - Article continues below

No drivetrain configuration has been confirmed, but one hurdle engineers will have to overcome is range. Nissan is considering a system where the vehicle runs purely electric for only part of the race, using a conventional petrol engine the rest, while a combined hybrid system is another option. 'ZEOD' stands for Zero Emission On Demand, all but confirming the car will not run on electricity alone.

Following the success of last weekend’s 2013 Le Mans 24 hours, where Nissan-powered cars took four of the top 10 LMP2 places, an ‘extensive testing programme’ is scheduled to take place over the next 12 months before this entry – which will operate from garage 56, reserved for experimental entries – competes in the round-the-clock race. In the long term Nissan is targeting a fully-fledged electric LMP1 racer to challenge Audi, Porsche and Toyota.

Following the success of hybrid powertrains in recent years some believe the next logical step is pure electrical drive. Nevertheless this is still a controversial topic, with heavyweights such as Toyota suggesting fuel cell technology could be the next step. Either way it looks like Le Mans has a bright, if not slightly quieter future ahead.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Ford Focus ST (Mk3) – the car world's greatest misses
Ford Focus ST Mk3
Features

Ford Focus ST (Mk3) – the car world's greatest misses

We’d hoped the 2015 Focus ST would share a good dose of its little brother’s magic. Sadly, it didn’t
28 Apr 2025
The Ferrari 296 Speciale has arrived, and it could be the most thrilling Ferrari ever
Ferrari 296 Speciale – front
News

The Ferrari 296 Speciale has arrived, and it could be the most thrilling Ferrari ever

The 296 Speciale is the latest in Ferrari's line of mid-engined road racers, packing 868bhp and LaFerrari-beating pace on track
29 Apr 2025
Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RS 2025 review – the ultimate Nürburgring toy
Porsche 911 GT3 RS Manthey front
Reviews

Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RS 2025 review – the ultimate Nürburgring toy

Did the 992 GT3 RS need to be made more extreme? Posssibly not. We're glad Manthey Racing has done it, though.
28 Apr 2025