Developed by Nissan with help from the NISMO motorsports division, the ZEOD RC is the result of the combined efforts of a team based in Japan, Europe and the United States. While the drivetrain is unconfirmed as yet, the carmaker is predicting it will be the fastest electric racing car in the world.

It also provides a platform to test variants of future electric vehicle technologies. Among these is the Zero Emission On Demand (ZEOD) system from which the car’s name is derived. This allows the driver to switch between electric and petrol power. Nissan believes this will become a common feature on future electrified vehicles.

Andy Palmer, executive vice president and executive committee member at Nissan Motor Company Limited, said: ‘The technologies developed through the ZEOD RC program will form part of future innovations for Nissan road cars. We're eagerly awaiting the opportunity to showcase the lessons learnt with the development of battery technology in the world's oldest, toughest and most high profile endurance race.

‘As no other manufacturer is using electric battery technology in endurance racing today, Nissan is innovating again and this will provide us with significant amounts of data and information to evaluate potential powertrains for future sportscar programs and allow us to continue as the leader in Zero Emissions technology on the road.’