NISSAN will take innovation to another level this weekend as its groundbreaking ZEOD RC car takes to the race track at Le Mans.
Based out of the famed Garage 56, designated for the cars looking to push boundaries at the legendary 24 hour race, Nissan’s hybrid race car will put the manufacturer on the world’s centre stage.
The ZEOD RC car features a new three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo-charged engine and electric power and hopes to be the first car to complete a full lap of Le Mans on electric alone.
NISMO’s Darren Cox said: “Garage 56 is unique in motor racing where the organisers have allowed manufacturers or private entrants to come and do something completely different.
“Innovation is about pushing the boundaries and innovation sometimes hurts. Most of the time Nissan gets it right, whether it be the Leaf, GT-R, the Qashqai, or the Juke – lots of examples of us doing things for the first time and being innovative. This is another one; one day we’re going to bite off more than we can chew. Let’s just hope it’s not on Saturday or Sunday of this week!”
ZEOD RC driver Satoshi Motoyama has arrived at Le Mans from Japan after a great weekend where Nissan dominated the podium at the Autopolis round of Super GT.
“It is the fourth time for me to drive at Le Mans and I’m very happy to be able to come back here with the new challenge of Nissan ZEOD RC,” he said.
“It is going to take an incredible effort from my teammates and everyone on the team to achieve our targets of recording the first ever lap of Le Mans under electric power.”
Rear-facing camera that provides a more comprehensive view
Nissan has already made history at Le Mans this year when it became the first manufacturer of the modern era to run a car at Circuit de la Sarthe intentionally with no rear view mirrors.
On the test day, drivers Wolfgang Reip and Tommy Erdos made history by completing laps without the mirrors that are mandatory for every other entry in the 56-car field.
The Nissan ZEOD is equipped with a rear-facing camera that provides a more comprehensive view than
the mirrors. In addition, the car has an inbuilt radar system that not only alerts the drivers about upcoming traffic, but provides further insight on closing speed through large arrows on the screen.
The system is able to differentiate between cars that are closing fast, or those that are staying at a similar distance behind or falling back. The arrows also change color depending on closing speed. It will also alert the driver whether a faster LM P1 car is passing on the left or right.
The Le Mans 24 Hours will start at 3pm local time on Saturday, June 14.