LM24: ZEOD completes all-electric lap

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The Nissan ZEOD RC experimental racer completed the first all-electric lap of Le Mans in this morning's warm-up.

Wolfgang Reip set a 4m22s lap of the 8.47-mile Circuit de la Sarthe with the gasoline-electric hybrid's three-cylinder turbo engine switched off. The lap means that Nissan has now achieved two of its targets for the ZEOD: it had already hit 300km/h (186.4mph) on electric power on the Mulsanne Straight during qualifying.

Ray Mallock, boss of the RML squad spearheading the ZEOD project, said that the 30 laps that the car completed in qualifying yielded enough data for the team to bring its electric-lap attempt forward.

"Analysis of the data and the work we have done since on battery and motor strategy gave us the confidence to go for it this morning," he said. "It is another box ticked. There has been a lot of public scrutiny of the project, so it is good to share this milestone with the public."

Nissan wants the ZEOD to lap around the four-minute mark in electric form. Mallock said that it is likely that it will attempt to go quicker in the race when temperatures drop during the night.

• VIDEO: ZEOD RC's Le Mans electric speed record