Morgan is putting its three-wheel battery-electric EV3 runabout on ice amid issues with the company supplying the three-wheeled vehicle's electric powertrain.
Morgan's managing director, Steve Morris, tells Autocar the company remains "absolutely committed to an electric future" and says the company will have to re-evaluate the car, which it had planned to start manufacturing this year. But he added that its supplier, Frazer-Nash Energy Systems, "is no longer able to fulfill the project within the terms of the contract."
But the managing director of Frazer-Nash, Noarmaan Siddiqui, explained that the deal fell apart for a variety of contractual reasons and said the prototypes his company built were "very promising."
Morgan first unveiled the EV3, an electric version of its Three-Wheeler, in 2016 in Geneva. It had originally planned to launch the car in 2017 but ran into issues with the first electric powertrain supplier as well. Frazer-Nash came on board in late 2017 and had fitted the car with a 21 kWh lithium-ion battery and a 34.8 kW electric motor on the rear wheel (not wheels). It had also reportedly featured rapid-charging technology and a range of 120 miles.
Morris says Morgan has learned from the experience that it needs additional EV know-how on its team and plans to bring specialists in-house.
In the meantime, if you were holding your breath for an electric three-wheel car, there's always the Venderhall Motor Works' Edison, which boasts a longer driving range (about 200 miles) and faster 0-60 mph time (4 seconds).
Morgan's managing director, Steve Morris, tells Autocar the company remains "absolutely committed to an electric future" and says the company will have to re-evaluate the car, which it had planned to start manufacturing this year. But he added that its supplier, Frazer-Nash Energy Systems, "is no longer able to fulfill the project within the terms of the contract."
But the managing director of Frazer-Nash, Noarmaan Siddiqui, explained that the deal fell apart for a variety of contractual reasons and said the prototypes his company built were "very promising."
Morgan first unveiled the EV3, an electric version of its Three-Wheeler, in 2016 in Geneva. It had originally planned to launch the car in 2017 but ran into issues with the first electric powertrain supplier as well. Frazer-Nash came on board in late 2017 and had fitted the car with a 21 kWh lithium-ion battery and a 34.8 kW electric motor on the rear wheel (not wheels). It had also reportedly featured rapid-charging technology and a range of 120 miles.
Morris says Morgan has learned from the experience that it needs additional EV know-how on its team and plans to bring specialists in-house.
In the meantime, if you were holding your breath for an electric three-wheel car, there's always the Venderhall Motor Works' Edison, which boasts a longer driving range (about 200 miles) and faster 0-60 mph time (4 seconds).
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