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LE MANS, France - The revolutionary Nissan Zeod RC has claimed the highest speed yet by an electric vehicle at Le Mans with Japanese ace Satoshi Motoyama reaching 300km/h.
He achieved the speed on the legendary Mulsanne Straight in qualifying for the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Strictly speaking, the Zeod is a hybrid with a dual electric/internal combustion engine powertrain featuring a pair of 110kW electric motors along with a remarkably small 40kg, 1.5-litre, 300kW three-cylinder turbo engine.
Nevertheless, Nissan says the 300km/h was achieved purely on battery power.
TARGET REACHED ON FIRST RUN
The Zeod (zero Emissions On Demand) permits the driver to switch back and forth between the two power sources.
Motoyama achieved the target on his first run in the car after he missed out on driving on Wednesday night due to a gearbox issue in the first session and a series of session-stopping red flags during the night.
Motoyama said: "I drove Zeod at Le Mans for the first time and instantly we were able to reach our target to run at more than 300km/h with electric power only.
"I was so surprised with the speed and power of electricity and it felt great. The guys on the team did a great job to fix the car and I was able to get started right at the green flag.
"Our first target of 300km/h with electric power is done and I think that was a really good first step."
He achieved the speed on the legendary Mulsanne Straight in qualifying for the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Strictly speaking, the Zeod is a hybrid with a dual electric/internal combustion engine powertrain featuring a pair of 110kW electric motors along with a remarkably small 40kg, 1.5-litre, 300kW three-cylinder turbo engine.
Nevertheless, Nissan says the 300km/h was achieved purely on battery power.
TARGET REACHED ON FIRST RUN
The Zeod (zero Emissions On Demand) permits the driver to switch back and forth between the two power sources.
Motoyama achieved the target on his first run in the car after he missed out on driving on Wednesday night due to a gearbox issue in the first session and a series of session-stopping red flags during the night.
Motoyama said: "I drove Zeod at Le Mans for the first time and instantly we were able to reach our target to run at more than 300km/h with electric power only.
"I was so surprised with the speed and power of electricity and it felt great. The guys on the team did a great job to fix the car and I was able to get started right at the green flag.
"Our first target of 300km/h with electric power is done and I think that was a really good first step."
