Gordon Murray has unveiled what he claims is the world’s most efficient electric car, the Gordon Murray Designs T27, a battery-powered version of his revolutionary ultra-compact T25 city car.
Though it's just 2.5 metres long, and weighs less than 700 kilograms ready to go, it can carry three adult passengers.
The car, which introduces some small body changes likely to feed into the original design, is much more than a concept, Murray insists. It could be on the market in little more than two years, he claims, and would cost £14,000 to £15,000 in the showrooms, not counting the government’s present £5000 subsidy on electric car purchases.
Developed over 17 months, the T27 is part-funded by a £4.5 million grant from the Technology Strategy Board. Its 33bhp electric motor and single-speed gearbox are both developed by Zytec, the UK race electronics and green technology company which has already done much work on the electric Smart, and are unique to the Murray project.
Production for the T27 (and T25) continues to depend on Murray’s company attracting clients willing to invest not just in its car designs but in its revolutionary high-efficiency production process, called iStream. Murray says he is currently in serious talks with three potential clients, one in the UK, one in Europe and one “on the other side of the world”. He believes an announcement from the European investor could come as early as the end of the year.
The T27 is much lighter than most electric cars, weighing just 680 kilograms at the kerb, including battery. Its lithion-ion battery pack takes only 4.5 hours to acquire an 80 per cent charge and it has a ‘real life’ range of 160km. It also accelerates from 0-100km/h in under 15 seconds (and 0-50km/h “uncomfortably fast”), with a top speed governed at 110km/h, to protect battery charge.