Filed under: Budget, Technology, Hatchback, UK, Design/Style, Electric

Gordon Murray has long been considered one of the most innovative engineers and designers in the automotive world. The latest project from the mind that created the McLaren F1 supercar is the new T.27 electric city car. The T.27 is the battery powered variant of the T.25, a model that will debut shortly with a gas engine. Both models use the same basic architecture, and like the seminal supercar, they feature a three seat layout. That’s largely where the similarities end, however.

Murray’s firm is collaborating on the T.27 project with Zytek Automotive, a UK-based engineering consultancy with vast experience in electric and hybrid powertrains. The 7.9-foot long car has a 12 kilowatt-hour battery pack mounted under the seats and a 25 kilowatt electric motor driving the rear wheels. Zytek has managed to package the motor, single-speed transmission and power electronics into one tidy little unit. The system is claimed to give the car a range of 80-100 miles and with the current UK electricity generation mix (mostly coal) the CO2 emissions are a combined 48 grams / kilometer.

The T.27 is claimed to have a turning circle of just 19.7 feet and with its width of 4.3 feet, three of them can fit into a single parking space perpendicular to the curb. The program started in November of 2009 and the first running prototype is due to be completed in April 2011. Official press release after the jump.

[Source: Gordon Murray Designs]

Continue reading Gordon Murray’s forthcoming electric T.27 city car in detail

Gordon Murray’s forthcoming electric T.27 city car in detail originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 May 2010 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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