Chassis: – Class: ‘G56’ Engine: – Fuel: Petrol Transmission: – Brakes: 0 Weight: – Fuel Tank: – Year introduced: 2013 (demo runs only)
The ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) will make its race debut at the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours. Nissan will trial variants of new electric drive train technologies as part of its intended future return to LM P1 competition to challenge for overall victory at the world’s most prestigious endurance race.
Nissan’s invitation from the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) to compete in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours was announced by Nissan Chairman and CEO, Carlos Ghosn in Japan in February 2013. The car will compete under the ACO’s ‘Garage 56’ entry – an additional spot on the grid for vehicles that showcase new and innovative technology.
Run as a Nissan / Nismo full factory international program with input from Japan, Europe and the US, the Nissan ZEOD RC design team is headed by Ben Bowlby who has been newly-appointed as Nissan’s Director of Motorsport Innovation and previously worked on the Nissan DeltaWing program in 2012.
While current battery technology does not provide the energy storage capacity to race a solely electric Le Mans prototype, Nissan ZEOD RC designer Ben Bowlby believes the development of the car will be an important step in the “electrification” of the racecars of the future.
“Developing a car like this provides an incredibly challenging test bed for what could be highly-effective options for road cars of the future. Throughout the next twelve months we will be testing multiple drive train options in an extensive test program,” Bowlby said.“We have many options to consider and test. The test program is part of a longer term goal of developing a system and a set of rules for this type of technology in partnership with the ACO that would be best suited to competing at the highest level of this sport. Our design team on the Nissan ZEOD RC program has concentrated heavily on packaging and aerodynamic efficiency that will not only provide extreme performance but high levels of energy efficiency – the goal for all global automakers.
A large part of our work in the coming months is to discuss with the ACO future opportunities for the ‘electrification’ of the Le Mans rules in the future and work towards delivering appropriate technology. Garage 56 is a bold move by the ACO to showcase Innovation and allow testing of untried components and systems for future competition use. To this end they are the most forward thinking promoter in motorsport today.”
Nissan will partner with French tire manufacturer Michelin to produce tires for the new prototype. Nissan previously joined forces with Michelin on the Nissan DeltaWing program. The Clermont-Ferrand-based manufacturer has a deep involvement in innovation and also benefits form an enviable knowledge in the development of energy efficient competition and road tires.
The build of the Zeod RC is well underway. Based on Ben Bowlby’s Nissan Deltawing concept of 2012 the Zeod is under construction at RML in Wellingborough, England, (where the Nissan Deltawing was also built).
The Zeod is built up around a bespoke 2014 specification monocoque built by Adess AG, who were also responsible for the Lotus T128 LMP2. Whilst the tub has some obvious similarities with the Lotus it also has some clear differences.
The shape of the front of the tub is totally different to the Lotus (below), this is likely to be due to the unique demands of Deltawing concept chassis with the very narrow front track. Something that lead to some compromises with the design of the 2012 Nissan Deltawing which used an Aston Martin AMR-ONE tub.
The car will be fitted with a hybrid electric power train, with electric motors driving the rear wheels and a small IC engine charging the batteries. The powertrain will not be load bearing so a tubular steel structure has to be fitted to the rear of the tub.
Here we get a good look at the front suspension of the car, note the design of the upper wishbone.
LE MANS TEST
The ZEOD had a mixed day at the Le Mans test, whilst it was not as fast as hoped the car managed to complete sufficient laps to be allowed to contest the race. Additionally Nissan revealed that the car seen on test day was only the test car and that the final car was not yet complete but would be significantly faster and fitted with a totally different battery.
A look at the unclothed front end of the Zeod test car at Le Mans
