Nissan’s new ZEOD RC receives a shakedown run at the Fuji Speedway in Japan ahead of its 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans debut.
[Not a valid template]Nissan’s new ZEOD RC – an electric racer based on the company’s unorthodox Deltawing – made its track during the Fuji round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The new model, which has undergone eight months of development, is due to make its international racing debut at next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans – site also of Porsche’s first official La Sarthe outing since 1998 – and was unveiled at the home of Nissan’s performance arm, Nismo, in Yokohama. It was also announced that former GT1 World Champion Michael Krumm has joined the test program.
Nismo fans at the Fuji Speedway WEC round – at which Audi successfully defended its World Manufacturers’ Championship – were given the first up-close look at the new model. Powered by both an electric motor and a ‘small lightweight turbocharged internal combustion engine’, the ZEOC RD also utilises the same battery technology as the Nissan LEAF electric hatchback. The new electric racer is being used as a test bed to develop new electric vehicle technologies for Nissan’s upcoming LMP1 program.
The ZEOD RC will occupy Garage 56 at Le Mans, which is normally reserved for vehicles showcasing new and innovative technology. The model is expected to hit up to 300kph along Le Mans’ famous Mulsanne Straight, and will become the first car to complete an entire lap of the 8.5-mile Le Mans circuit on nothing but electric power.
Source – Nismo Channel
