Nissan unveils ‘world’s fastest’ electric racing car

The prototype vehicle will make its race debut at next year's 24 Hour LeMans race. The car will compete under the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's 'Garage 56' entry – an additional spot on the grid for vehicles that showcase new and innovative technology. Nissan says it will test a variety of types and combinations of electric motors and gasoline engines in the ZEOD RC before it hits the track in 2014, including an option that lets drivers switch between electric and petrol powered drive. While current battery technology doesn't provide the energy storage capacity to race a solely electric Le Mans prototype, ZEOD RC designer Ben Bowlby believes the development of the car will be an important step in the 'electrification' of motorsport. "A car like this provides an incredibly challenging test bed for what could be highly effective options for road cars," he commented. "Throughout the next year we will be testing multiple drive trains in an extensive test programme. Nissan is a leader in electric vehicle technology for the road, now we want to take those lessons learnt and utilise that knowledge base in the development of the new race car."