The T.27, a Gordon Murray project for a new demographic.

[kevingalls]

Gordon Murray, best known as the creator of the McLaren F1 and SLR Mclaren, is now busy with a new project. Murray's firm is collaborating with Zytek Automotive, a UK-based consultancy to create the most energy efficient production vehicle. Murray also worked on the T.25, which features the same basic structure, including a 3-seat arrangement like the famous McLaren F1 supercar. The T.27 isn't much different than the T.25, except it will be given an all-electric battery-powered drivetrain. The car is 7.9 feet long and has a 12 kilowatt-hour battery pack with a 25 kilowatt electric motor driving the rear wheels. Zytek claims the system gives the car a range of 80-100 miles. Its turning radius is just 19.7 feet and at 4.3 feet wide, you could fit 3 of them side-by-side in a parking spot perpendicular to the lines. Squeezing the motor, single-speed transmission and electronics into one tidy unit reminds me of the electronics wars where smaller and smaller cameras and cell phones are being invented. At what point does a small electric car pass the threshold to become an electric kart?



Gordon Murray's involvement excites us because of his no-nonsense approach (usually) to reducing weight, attention to weight distribution for balance, and desire for a great driver's car with excellent performance. Murray is obsessed with efficiency in the car, but also in the manufacturing. In fact, Murray developed a new low-energy manufacturing system called the iStream for these city cars. It reduces the investment and energy required for manufacturing and expands flexibility. Engineering and design began November 2009, and tests are scheduled until April, 2011. Sometime next year investors will determine whether we really ever have the opportunity to buy these city cars, which will probably compete with the Smart Fortwo, and the anticipated Mini city car.