Tuesday 26 February 2013

Nissan to build all-electric Le Mans car for 2014

Nissan will contest the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2014 with an all-electric contender that will take the 'Garage 56' entry reserved for an experimental car.

Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn announced that the company would be back at Le Mans next year with "a pioneering Nissan race car showcasing electric technology and with zero emissions".

The car has already been granted the so-called 'Garage 56' entry that was taken by the Nissan-backed DeltaWing experimental racer in 2012 and will be filled by the GreenGT hydrogen fuel cell prototype this year.

Ghosn hinted that the project could result in Nissan's first bid for outright Le Mans victory since the R390 of 1997-98 (pictured) and its R391 successor in '99.

A statement from Nissan read: "The entry will test innovative powertrain technology and provide the Automobile Club de l'Ouest [ACO] and the FIA with data to enable all parties to evaluate the incorporation of this breakthrough technology ahead of a potential return to LMP1 in the future."
Nissan is one of the world leaders in electric car technology and has already developed the Leaf NISMO RC to showcase the potential of that technology in motorsport.

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