# New York 2011: Nissan Leaf RC Not Actually Remote-Controlled



## AutoGuide.com (Jul 6, 2010)

The RC in Nissan Leaf NISMO RC stands for "Race Competition." It is not a RadioShack product. And the electric Leaf has been fettled by Nissan's motorsport division NISMO to do battle on the track.

Doing battle against…we don't know yet. The Leaf RC is an engineer's lab experiment, a "rolling laboratory" for the mainstream development of electric vehicle technology, and a way to determine whether electric vehicles can splash in the same currents as gasoline vehicles in the world of motorsports. Nissan is examining the idea of a spec race series for the Leaf RC, and will be gauging reactions at motorsports events around the world.

On top of the regular Leaf, the RC gets a carbon-fiber chassis that shaves 40 percent off the stock weight, for a total of 2,068lbs. The dramatic coupe styling gets lengthened by 0.8 inches and widened by 6.7 inches, while being over a foot shorter. The electric motor produces 107 horsepower and an Earth-twisting 207 lb-ft of torque, with 80kw.

The result? A 0-60 time of 6.9 seconds. Nissan claims that the RC can be recharged up to 80% in just 30 minutes, and can run for 20 minutes at a time. It's not a 30-second NASCAR pitstop, but the RCshows the Leaf's potential to be more than a quiet commuter pod.

More: *New York 2011: Nissan Leaf RC Not Actually Remote-Controlled* on AutoGuide.com


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