The Nissan ZEOD RC that will compete in the 2014 Le Mans 24-hour endurance race using electric power has been unveiled in completed form.
Nissan’s performance division, Nismo, revealed the hybrid race car in Japan today, eight months after development started and four months after the prototype was first show at the 2013 Le Mans event.
The final version of the Nissan ZEOD RC has some key differences from the previous prototype show, including air intakes and vertical headlights incorporated into the rear wheel arches, a shark fin that protrudes more prominently out of the roof, and a more expansive wraparound windscreen.
Nissan is using the ZEOD RC as a trial of technologies it could use for a more serious assault on the overall, LMP1 category in the future.
The Nissan ZEOD RC will compete in the ‘Garage 56′ category in 2014 thats for racing cars showcasing innovative technology. The RC is capable of speeds in excess of 300km/h, which will be useful for Le Mans’ famously long straights such as the Mulsanne Straight.
It borrows its lithium-ion battery tech from the Nissan Leaf electric car, though the ZEOD RC also has a small turbocharged petrol engine that allows the Nissan racing driver to alternate between electric and conventional power.
Nissan, though, says the RC will become the first car to complete a lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe using electric power only.
