Motoring News
£2 Issue 3
february 2014
NISSAN UNVEILS REVOLUTIONARY PETROL ENGINE
TO COMPLEMENT ELECTRIC ZEOD RC POWERPLANT
Nissan will not only break new ground with the unique
electric power plant aboard the Nissan ZEOD RC at Le
Mans this year, but the accompanying internal combus‐
tion engine is set to revolutionise standards of perfor‐
mance and efficiency.
e Nissan ZEOD RC will become the first entry at Le
Mans to complete a lap of the Circuit de la Sarthe under
nothing but electric power in June. A single lap of each
stint (a fuel “stint” lasts approximately one hour) will be
electric powered, then the new Nissan DIG-T R 1.5 litre
three-cylinder turbo engine will take over.
e incredibly small engine weighs only 40 kilograms
(88 pounds) but produces an astonishing 400hp. e
base engine is only 500mm tall x 400mm long x
200mm wide (19.68” x 15.74” x 7.78”). While the en‐
gine is technically too heavy to take as carry-on luggage
on a plane – it would easily fit inside the luggage guides
seen at major airports around the world.
Revving to 7,500rpm, the Nissan DIG-T R produces
380Nm of torque. At a ratio of 10 horsepower per kilo‐
gram the new engine actually has a better power-toweight ratio than the new engines to be used in the FIA
Formula 1 World Championship this year.