What do you get when you combine Nissan’s ultra-quick LEAF RC electric racer with the revolutionary DeltaWing prototype? Nissan fans at NISMO’s Yokohama headquarters got a look at the answer to that question this week with the unveiling of the first Zero Emissions on Demand (ZEOD) prototype. The car was shown at this weekend’s round of the World Endurance Championship in Japan.
Nissan plans to campaign the ZEOD RC at Le Mans next year. A non-running prototype was shown at Le Mans this year, and the design has evolved toward LM P1 homologation with a slight redesign that includes new cooling inlets and improved aerodynamics. If the program succeeds, the ZEOD RC will be the first vehicle to complete a lap of the 8.5-mile Le Mans circuit under full-electric power.
Though it’s touted as an electric and operates on some of the same principles as the Nissan Leaf, the ZEOD RC is closer to a hybrid. It’s got a compact turbocharged gasoline engine aboard, that takes over should the batteries run out of juice. Regenerative braking is used to charge the batteries, via a system designed with the rigors of racing in mind. Nissan estimates a 300km/h top speed.
The ZEOD RC is similar in layout to the DeltaWing racer, with its distinctive close-set front wheels and triangular, jet-light silhouette. The ZEOD RC has a closed cockpit, however, and several other design distinctions from the DeltaWing.
Darren Cox, Nissan’s global motorsport director , said, “Our goal for the program is to draw back the curtain for the fans to see the innovative technology that Nissan is developing. We could not think of a better place than the Fuji round of the World Endurance Championship for the actual ZEOD RC to appear in public for the first time. We have interrupted our intense testing in the UK to fly the car to Japan for this display for the Japanese fans.”
UPDATE: Former GT1 champion Michael Krumm had these observations after driving the ZEOD RC at Fuji Speedway: “It was great fun. This was a low-speed demonstration, but I could feel a great response from the car.
“Normally, electric vehicles don’t have a transmission, but this car has a full racing gearbox connected to the motor. The gearbox is the same as a normal racing car. It has an electric powertrain that gives you a very new feeling. It was really fun.”
