WhackyWill Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 (edited) Nissan Zeod RC on track at Le Mans for the first time. The Nissan ZEOD RC completed its first 24 laps of Circuit de la Sarthe with GT Academy winner Wolfgang Reip and two-time Le Mans P2 winner Tommy Erdos at the wheel. While the car was delayed with two small technical issues – a broken fuel pump issue and a broken exhaust – today’s test was an important step in the development of the car that aims to complete an entire lap of Le Mans on pure electric power. “Today has been a very important step in the development of the car and what we have achieved is actually quite remarkable,†said NISMO’s Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales, Darren Cox. “We knew we were tackling a huge challenge with the goal of building a car that could complete an entire 8.5 mile lap of Le Mans on nothing but electric power. We have certainly discovered why nobody has tackled it previously. “We completed large sections of the circuit today on EV power and learned a great deal,†Cox continued. “Today was about testing the systems and ensuring the transition from electric to internal combustion power was seamless. Testing at other venues is extremely valuable but there is no substitute to running here at Le Mans. We ran with the test car today and we’ll continue to test with the actual race car all week back in the UK before heading back for the race. “I’m very proud of everyone associated with the programme because of the amount of work that has gone in. Today was very rewarding. Our guys already feel like they have raced the 24 hours already – they did two all-nighters last week. The level of commitment to showcase what this programme is capable of is truly remarkable.†The Nissan ZEOD RC team will continue testing in the UK this week with the actual race car, which will replace the test machine that was used today. Super GT regulars Satoshi Motoyama and Lucas Ordóñez will return from Japan to join Reip at the wheel for the race. Edited June 2, 2014 by WhackyWill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Nissan really do seem to be ramping up their motorsport involvement which to me is a good thing. Surprised they have not gone into some kind of touring car setup yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Interesting concept on the Zeod - no traditional rear view mirrors, but rear camera with info on what the cars behind are doing. http://www.nissan-mo...2014/14043.html Just how far the car will get in the race though...........but 300kph already achieved from an engine that complies with the size for aeroplane cabin luggage (and a bit of help from a few Duracells ), ain't shoddy. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhackyWill Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 (edited) Electric racing: should it be at Le Mans? All that development and prep work for 23 minutes of racing...is it worth it? The Nissan ZEOD is currently listed as off at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is sort of funny considering the timing in which it occurred. Television coverage showed the car pulling off short of 24 minutes… One can only think about what this failure means to the bigger picture of (almost) all-electric racing.* To me it’s a metaphor for the whole hybrid, power unit, battery powered, electric movement. The car didn’t make it 24 minutes let alone 24 hours. When the FIA came down with these regulations, rumor has it both Audi and Porsche had serious issues developing their cars…at the cost of completely destroying a chassis each. And that is just Hybrid technology, which has been in road cars for years. The first few races of the season have been rather successful for the hybrid systems however, but one can only guess they are running super conservatively early on. Formula One is in a weird place right now with its silenced Hybrid cars coupled with the regulations creating phallic noses on the cars… Then there is the fully electric movement, which is primarily represented by the Nissan ZEOD taking up Garage 56…an entry into today’s 24 Hours of Le Mans reserved for a team with technology under development, and Formula E. We have seen how the race worked for the ZEOD. After a week of testing, and weeks during its initial development, it managed to almost hit the 24-minute mark. This brings me to the last big electric venture of 2014…Formula E. Having spoken with Alejandro Agag earlier this year, I know the series plans on doing a complete dress rehearsal before they run an official event. This seems like a good idea. Despite this, I think the first season will see incredibly high reliability issues, and races full of attrition. Just finishing will be key. I suppose this is all supposed to be for the betterment of technology of our roads, but does it really take lackluster performances in some of the biggest races on the planet to develop this technology? What if the ZEOD had taken out another car? I think I will stick to my petrol engines for now. In fact I bought myself a 66cc two-stroke engine to strap to something fun…but that’s for another story. To be able to ensure momentum to be able to charge its batteries, the ZEOD has a small light petrol engine on board. Edited June 16, 2014 by WhackyWill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 what luddite wrote that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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