Nissan reveals future with world’s fastest electric race car [video]

Nissan launches the ZEOD RC, the fastest electric race car in the world and reveals the future of motorsport, road cars and performance sports cars.

If you aren’t a believer in electric technology, the new Nissan electric race car could change your mind. The Nissan ZEOD RC will change how we view performance vehicles and reveals what the future of motorsport and road cars will look like. The ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car), uses the same lithium battery technology as used in the Nissan LEAF and will be used to test the latest Zero Emission and battery technology. What does the new Nissan ZEOD RC tell us about the future?

The car will initially be used to run the 24 hrs of Le Mans and also asses its potential in LM P1. All serious automakers test their latest technologies on the race track before they filter down to the cars that we drive on the road everyday. It gives them a test bed to evaluate new engine and drivetrain technologies in a severe racing environment. If it holds up there, it’s likely to make it to their production vehicles. The Nissan ZEOD RC will tell the Japanese automaker much about future battery technology.

ZEOD RC will achieve incredible speeds

We already know the Nissan ZEOD RC will achieve speeds in excess of 300km/h (186 mph). The technology has already progressed to the point where the new Nissan race car will seriously challenge at Le Mans next year. Nissan will test multiple electric drivetrain technologies in the next year before racing in 2014 Le Mans. This will be the test bed for Nissan to further develop their technologies for future Nissan road cars.

Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President and Executive Committee member at Nissan Motor Company Limited said, "The Nissan ZEOD RC is a natural progression that follows on from the development of the Nissan LEAF road car and the LEAF RC race car prototype. The technologies developed through the ZEOD RC program will form part of future innovations for Nissan road cars.

Nissan will test multiple technologies

The 24 hrs of Le Mans will be a perfect testing ground as it’s the toughest endurance race in the world. Nissan will test multiple technologies in the new race car this next year. Nissan says a Zero Emission on Demand option will be tested where the driver can switch between electric and petrol-powered drive is a future direction for road cars. Also pure electric power and other new technologies that they still have under development will also be tested.

This testing will be for the race track, but more importantly, it will be for future road cars and future sports cars. "As no other manufacturer is using electric battery technology in endurance racing today, Nissan is innovating again and this will provide us with significant amounts of data and information to evaluate potential powertrains for future sportscar programs and allow us to continue as the leader in Zero Emissions technology on the road."

Nissan is revealing the future

We are seeing the future of high-performance sports cars and it will start on the race track. Nissan is looking for “highly effective options for road cars of the future.” The ZEOD RC program will give Nissan the data they need to move forward with aerodynamic efficiency, and electrification that will provide extreme performance and high levels of energy efficiency. Nissan is revealing the future of motorsport, road cars and high-performance sports cars that we’ll be driving in the future. Stay tuned as the Nissan ZEOD RC will make its testing debut later this summer.

Watch the Nissan ZEOD RC - Launch Film and Unveil Event videos.