Gordon Murray Design T.27

Will the T.27 be the world’s most efficient electric car?

Gordon Murray, designer of the revolutionary McLaren F1 supercar, is now Chief Executive and Technical Director of Gordon Murray Design. His current creation is the T.27, a pure electric city car that is intended to be nothing less than the world’s most efficient electric vehicle.

Gordon Murray has applied the same principles that characterised the McLaren F1 - optimal lightness and maximum efficiency – to the T.27. The car’s designed weight is 680 kg including battery, making it the lightest electric car to date. Murray’s powertrain partner, Zytek Automotive, is designing a brand new, innovative, lightweight and fully integrated electric motor, control system and battery that will ensure that maximum efficiency is achieved.

The T.27 is a three seater, with the driver in the middle and forward of the two passengers. Access to the seats is, like the F1, through the front of the car, which tilts forward from the B pillar. Although smaller than a Smart, it will have more interior space. The layout and geometry of the car is similar to Gordon Murray Design’s innovative T.25 petrol-driven city car, an MPV with six possible internal layouts.

Ideal performance for a city car

Emissions are zero at point of use with full life cycle CO2 emissions 42% less than the average UK car. The T.27 is powered by a 25kW motor and has a lithium-ion battery. It has a top speed of 105 kph and a 0-100 kph time of under 15 seconds. The range is 80 – 100 miles.

The efficiency in cost, weight and performance comes in part from the ‘clean sheet of paper’ approach, part from the full integration of the powertrain and also from the low energy manufacturing system developed by Gordon Murray Design called iStream.

A revolution in high-volume car manufacturing

According to Murray, the iStream assembly process is 'a complete rethink of the traditional manufacturing process and could potentially be the biggest revolution in high volume manufacture since the Ford Model T'. Rather than pressing sheet metal panels, Murray’s method is considerably simplified by using ultra strong composite sheets bonded to a tubular steel frame. It means that the manufacturing plant can be about 20% of the size of a conventional factory. This reduces capital investment in the assembly plant by up to 80% and, in turn, reduces the energy required for manufacturing.

The flexibility of the iStream process would also allow the petrol powered T.25 and the T.27 plus variants of these two models to be manufactured at the same plant. The effect of these efficiencies on unit costs is significant and should ensure that the T.25 and T.27 can be priced very competitively when they are brought to market.

The development of the T.27 has been supported by a £9 million investment by the government’s Technology Strategy Board – £4.5 million to Murray (representing 50% of the total research and development costs) and £4.5 million to Zytek. It will enable the two companies to produce a running prototype by April 2011. 

The petrol-powered T25, now fully engineered, will take just 22 months to reach showrooms. It will deliver 80 mpg and emit less than 100g/km of CO2.

Murray is now seeking a UK partner or consortium to produce the cars. The economic recession has delayed this process but Murray is confident that the proposition will attract suitors as the recovery sets in. An existing car maker is not thought appropriate because it is wholly different to their production methods and ways of doing business.

Once again, Murray is thinking ‘outside the box’.