Le Mans 24H: Nissan Unveils Revolutionary ZEOD RC

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The Le Mans 24 Hour has increasingly become a testing ground for the latest and greatest in automobile technology, and as Nissan pulled the covers off its 2014 ZEOD RC entry, one can’t help but feel that this is an electrifying glimpse of the future.

The ZEOD RC, an acronym for Zero Emission on Demand, will be the world’s fastest electric racing car and is set to participate in next year’s Le Mans 24 Hour. The futuristic machine will use similar lithium battery technology to that found in the Nissan Leaf production car, albeit amended for optimal racing performance.

The car will be based on last year’s similarly revolutionary Deltawing, however the cockpit will be fully enclosed and will also feature entirely new bodywork. It is also expected that the ZEOD RC will weigh an insubstantial 700 kilograms in race-trim, 225 kilograms heavier than the Deltawing which we can assume is related to the weight of the battery.

As a result of the grueling nature of endurance racing, Nissan’s 2014 entry will not be exclusively powered by electricity; however it will rely on electric power for much longer periods than the hybrid entries in the 2013 event. Currently, there is technology present in the Toyota TS030 and the Audi R18 e-tron quattro which facilitates the generation of electric energy; however it is only available in short bursts.

According to Nissan, the ZEOD RC will be capable of exceeding 300 kilometers per hour, which should easily grant it the tag of the fastest electric car in the world.

Nissan’s director of motorsport innovation, Ben Bowlby, was glowing in his explanation of the manufacturer’s exciting endeavors over the coming years.

"Some ideas will work – some won’t – but this is all about taking risks and not just building what everyone else is doing, launching a new LM P1 programme and expecting to be successful. Could we use [pure] electric power at Le Mans one day? We don’t know yet, but we’re not going to find out by just dreaming about it. Nissan is going to go out and find out what is possible and what can be done."

Andy Palmer, the executive vice-president for Nissan, projected similar excitement in relation to the Japanese marque’s electric assault on the Circuit de la Sarthe.

“This is not a science experiment, its reality. We need to challenge the gap between perception and reality, there’s no better way of doing that than going racing.”

While we will not see the ZEOD RC on the track in the 2013 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hour, Nissan is aiming to begin testing of their ground-breaking new machine in the latter half of 2013 before it hits the track in competitive conditions next year.

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Absolutely loving these innovative projects at Le Mans. Can't have enough of such experimental cars in my opinion.
 
Man that's one butt ugly vehicle. Appreciate the innovation tho.
From side looks a bit like Morgan Aero (hate the looks of that car too).
 

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