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From press release
Wolfgang Reip, behind the wheel of the Nissan ZEOD RC, turned a whole lap at Le Mans powered only by electricity. That's 8.5-mile (14km) with a pair of 110 kW electric motors rotating at 40,000rpm.
Reip and his teammate for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Lucas Ordóñez and Satoshi Motoyama are occupying “Garage 56” - an additional entry reserved by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest for cars showcasing new an innovative technology.
The Nissan ZEOD RC (zero emissions on demand) allows the drive to switch between two power sources - the pair of electric motors or the unique 1.5 liter, 40 kilogram, 400 horsepower three-cylinder internal combustion engine.
“It is a huge thrill for me to become the first ever driver to complete an all-electric lap of Le Mans - especially since this is my debut at the race,” Reip said.
“I used electricity to originally become a racing driver through GT Academy and now I've used it again to achieve this tremendous goal. I'm really thrilled for the entire team and honored I got the chance to be behind the wheel when it first happened. I actually got held up by a GT car during the lap. I was able to get past and it was quite a strange sensation to go by on electric power.”
“This is the only true prototype on the grid - literally the team have been testing, changing and updating the car every hour as we worked towards achieving our goals,” said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO.
“Nissan is the global leader for electric vehicles for the road and we proved today that we'll be taking the same leadership role in electric vehicles for the race track. The lessons learned from the development of electric drive systems and battery technology will not only improve the Nissan road car of tomorrow but will also be transferred into the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo - our new LM P1 car which will race at Le Mans next year.”
Nissan launched its upcoming LM P1 program on May 23 in London. The Japanese manufacturer will compete against Audi, Toyota and Porsche from 2015 at Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Wolfgang Reip, behind the wheel of the Nissan ZEOD RC, turned a whole lap at Le Mans powered only by electricity. That's 8.5-mile (14km) with a pair of 110 kW electric motors rotating at 40,000rpm.
Reip and his teammate for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Lucas Ordóñez and Satoshi Motoyama are occupying “Garage 56” - an additional entry reserved by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest for cars showcasing new an innovative technology.
The Nissan ZEOD RC (zero emissions on demand) allows the drive to switch between two power sources - the pair of electric motors or the unique 1.5 liter, 40 kilogram, 400 horsepower three-cylinder internal combustion engine.
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| Photo: Christophe Jouniaux/Vision SPO |
“It is a huge thrill for me to become the first ever driver to complete an all-electric lap of Le Mans - especially since this is my debut at the race,” Reip said.
“I used electricity to originally become a racing driver through GT Academy and now I've used it again to achieve this tremendous goal. I'm really thrilled for the entire team and honored I got the chance to be behind the wheel when it first happened. I actually got held up by a GT car during the lap. I was able to get past and it was quite a strange sensation to go by on electric power.”
“This is the only true prototype on the grid - literally the team have been testing, changing and updating the car every hour as we worked towards achieving our goals,” said Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, NISMO.
“Nissan is the global leader for electric vehicles for the road and we proved today that we'll be taking the same leadership role in electric vehicles for the race track. The lessons learned from the development of electric drive systems and battery technology will not only improve the Nissan road car of tomorrow but will also be transferred into the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo - our new LM P1 car which will race at Le Mans next year.”
Nissan launched its upcoming LM P1 program on May 23 in London. The Japanese manufacturer will compete against Audi, Toyota and Porsche from 2015 at Le Mans and in the FIA World Endurance Championship.