Panoz Racing Green4U GT-EV - The First Ever All-Electric Le Mans Race Car?

While many of the current Le Mans cars are hybrids, no all-electric car has ever competed in the famous endurance race. This may be about to change, as Panoz Racing and Green4U have teamed up to create the Project GT-EV.

The GT-EV will use a removable battery pack design, enabling battery exchanges at pit stops and making it possible to complete the full race purely on electric power. The battery packs will be stored in a pull-out compartment next to the driver’s seat.
The green machine will be an all-wheel-drive, with one electric motor powering each axle. In total, the two engines are expected to produce around 450 kW (600 hp) of power. The chassis is entirely made from carbon fiber, and the car is expected to weigh 2,200 to 2,750 lbs (1000 to 1250 kg) with the battery packs included.

“We’re debuting it here at Le Mans because of this iconic race’s history where the brightest and most ambitious and tenacious competitors always push the motorsports and automotive boundaries,” said Don Panoz, chairman and co-founder of the electric car startup Green4U Technologies. “We pushed the boundaries when we brought Sparky [the 1998 Panoz Q9 GTR-1 Hybrid] and the DeltaWing to Le Mans, and we’ll do the same with the all-electric GT-EV.”

“Our goal is to run our car in a race, perhaps even applying for a future Garage 56 slot, and apply what we learn to our Green4U EV vehicle designs,” added Jack Perkowski, CEO and co-founder of Green4U Technologies. “The development of an all-electric race car that can compete with the best internal combustion engine race cars places Green4U at the forefront of electric vehicle technology.”

Green4U Technologies also revealed renderings of its proposed street-legal sports car based on the GT-EV. Conceptualized by renowned car designer Peter Stevens, who has contributed to the design of many vehicles such as the Panoz Esperante GTR-1, the design features a unique two-passenger, jet fighter-style passenger compartment where the passenger sits behind the driver.

What do you think of the car? And will it have a chance at Le Mans 2018? Comment below!
Tobi aka The Stig’s German Cousin