Gordon Murray working on EV version of city car?
Gordon Murray's T25 city car looks pretty impressive on paper. It boasts higher cargo capacity and more seats (three) than a Smart Fortwo – and it promises to be built for maximum efficiency. According to Autocar, Gordon Murray says the T25 will be motivated by both naturally-aspirated and turbocharged versions of the 660-cc Mitsubishi engine, but Murray is also reportedly working on an electric version of the still unseen city car.
The aim of the T27 would be to make the most efficient electric vehicle on earth, although details of the propulsion system are at this point nonexistent. The alleged EV city car has reportedly been made possible by a £4.5 million ($7.46 million USD) investment from the U.K.'s government-backed Technology Strategy board along with £3 million ($4.975 million) from Gordon Murray design and £1.5 million ($2.48 million) from Zytec Automotive Technology.
If Murray's plans for the T27 are anything like those of the T25, the successful F1 designer won't produce the vehicle himself, instead opting to sell the rights to build the car to third-party assemblers like Apple, Sony or Virgin. The aim of the 16-month T27 project is to build four prototypes and eventually develop a manufacturing facility that utilizes Murray's reportedly brilliant iStream manufacturing process.
[Source: Autocar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
CyberWired 8:03PM (11/07/2009)
You can make it as efficient as you like, but if it looks like a dried up piece of snot, who will buy one?
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TC 8:12PM (11/07/2009)
A man dressed as a giant handkerchief?
mikhalian 9:27PM (11/07/2009)
Well played TC, well played.
Farmboy 12:21PM (11/08/2009)
I will make car covers like a Kleenex and handkerchiefs for this car.
Clavius 10:39PM (11/07/2009)
I just wanna see the damn car already lol.. never mind him planning a EV version of it.
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zamafir 11:26PM (11/07/2009)
we have. several times. google is your friend, as are CAR, EVO and autoblog. :)
Clavius 1:29AM (11/08/2009)
haha.. must of been sleeping that day lawl!
keep the change 3:11AM (11/08/2009)
660 cc? Why so huge? There are two-stroke aircraft engines that are 200 cc that pump out 27 HP and use 1 gal per hour at cruise at 3000 rpm. For a car that small, 27 HP should do it. A four hour journey, at 3000 rpm in fifth gear, would net you 60 miles per hour and 240 miles per gallon. If you are going to go small, at least do it right. Go small or go home.
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Turbofrog 4:32AM (11/08/2009)
Speaking from experience, aviation engines are terrible compared to the automotive world. Especially two-strokes. To say nothing of how bad they are for the environment, no one wants to deal with tricky cold-start performance. And carburetors? Really?
The Mitsubishi engine is off-the-shelf, proven, and efficient. Considering the i gets better than 50 mpg, I'd say the t25 have pretty incredible economy without resorting to more abstract solutions.
MikeInNC 9:05AM (11/09/2009)
Getting worn out on the covered car already. Just unveil the thing already.
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Derek 11:13AM (11/09/2009)
What's with the Starbucks-looking logo on the cover?
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