Nissan ZEOD RC edges closer to Le Mans

Nissan says it is "trialling something really exciting" with its Zero Emission on Demand Racing Car, or ZEOD RC.

The eco-friendly race car is set to compete in next year's Le Mans 24 Hour race, and will be powered by twin electric engines which Nissan says will allow it to run in pure electric mode with zero emissions.

With the carbon fiber 'tub' complete, Nissan's Director of Motorsport Innovation, Ben Bowlby, said the team is confident the ZEOD RC will near the electric vehicle speed benchmark for EVs under 1000kg recently set by Lord Paul Drayson. In May this year, Lord Drayson smashed the long-standing EV speed record set by General Electric way back in 1974 when his purpose-built Drayson B12 69/EV recorded a 204.185mph (329.350km/h) timed run.

"While we're aiming to reach 300km/h under electric power at Le Mans, the Nissan ZEOD RC certainly has the capability to go faster than that in a land speed record configuration situation," said Bowlby.

"At the Circuit de la Sarthe at Le Mans you have to have the right gear ratios installed to pull the car out of corners and chicanes. You don't have a 'flying mile' with a long run-up before you enter the timing zone for a land speed record attempt.

"But that could potentially be our next target post Le Mans. Taking the Nissan ZEOD RC to Le Mans and becoming the first car to complete the entire 8.5-mile circuit is our first target."

It was a sentiment echoed by Nissan's Global Motorsport Director, Darren Cox. Speaking at the Nissan 360 event /news/2013/nissan/nissan-360-event-to-mark-80th-anniversary-38337 in the US this week, Cox said that once complete the ZEOD RC will not only be poised to break records, but also pioneer road-going technologies for Nissan's future EV models.

"We're at a very exciting time in the development of the car and ready to kick off what will be an extensive test program between now and when we roll out the pit lane for the first time at Le Mans next year," said Cox.

"Just developing a single power train option in only twelve months would be a mammoth task but we're looking to carefully examine a number of options to ascertain which will be best suited for Le Mans.

"But it is not just about what is going to be best for the race. We're developing technologies that will speed up development of road cars in the future. The Le Mans 24 Hour is the toughest endurance event in the world and by participating in the event we can really fast track the development of some of these technologies."

Spaniard Lucas Ordóñez was last week announced as the official test and development driver for the ZEOD RC. The 28-year-old racer was the inaugural Nissan PlayStation GT Academy winner and this year recently scored a third-place class finish at the Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race.

The ZEOD RC will begin circuit testing in the UK from early next month.