Panoz’ New GT-EV Prototype is an All-Electric Le Mans Hopeful

Panoz has unveiled a full electric prototype racer that it hopes to field in the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans. Officially called the Green4U Panoz Racing GT-EV, the prototype has an expected battery range of 90-110 miles of range charge and will be capable of 180 mph.

Because that’s nowhere near enough for a 24-hour race, Panoz and parent company Green4U are fitting the GT-EV with swappable battery packs, essentially providing the driver with the same “fuel stops” as the rest of the fuel-powered field.

As expected of a top-tier entrant, it’s got a ton of cutting-edge hardware, including the all-important regenerative braking and all-wheel drive system. According to Panoz, the GT-EV

Of course, this is all assuming the sanctioning body behind Le Mans, the ACO, approves the car for competition. If the ACO is impressed, Panoz hopes to get a spot on the race grid under the Garage 56 category, which is reserved for experimental cars.

If all goes according to plan, Panoz intends to put a street-legal GT-EV into limited production, utilizing a regular, fixed battery that will need regular recharging to operate.

Source: Panoz

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