T.27 is world's most efficient electric car

Measuring just 2.5 metres long, the T.27 sets new standards in weight, footprint, small car dynamics, safety, packaging and efficiency whilst addressing full lifecycle CO2 emissions, congestion, parking and low cost motoring.

The T.27 has been designed and developed by Gordon Murray Design together with partners Zytek Automotive who were responsible for the all-new electric powertrain.

Gordon Murray Design Limited is a British company that aims to be a world leader in automotive design. Gordon Murray, the company’s CEO, was a hugely successful technical director in Formula One, winning two world championships with Brabham and a further three with McLaren. He then set up McLaren Cars Limited and completed several projects including the F1 road car and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

In 2005 Gordon Murray established Gordon Murray Design Limited with the first project being the T.25 – an innovative city car with a central driving position and a unique door opening system. The company now has a complete in-house capability for design, prototyping and development. It is compact and focused, and undertakes automotive and other engineering programmes in an efficient and innovative way.

Zytek Automotive Limited is a British engineering company with a reputation for success, pursued both on and off the track. Its substantial automotive expertise has led to the rapid growth of its engineering consultancy business and most recently to the design, development and manufacture of innovative hybrid and electric drivetrains.

‘iStream®’ manufacturing process

From a clean sheet of paper to a running prototype the programme has taken just 17 months. Gordon Murray Design has developed a unique, holistic, manufacturing process -‘iStream®’ - that aims to reduce lifecycle impacts and enable low cost, efficient manufacture within the UK. The process has led to new levels of lightweight structure and safety in city cars. The iFrame geometry in the T.27 has allowed every aspect of the vehicle to be optimised including Zytek Automotive’s integrated powertrain, another world first.

On unveiling the T.27, Professor Murray, CEO of Gordon Murray Design said: ‘Lightweight is the most powerful tool we have in our armoury in the fight against emissions and fuel consumption.  This is true of all cars and especially so with electric vehicles. A lightweight car means a lightweight battery, increasing the levels of safety and reducing the retail price dramatically. The T.27 represents a huge step forward in protecting our mobility and our environment’.

The T.27 has a 25kW electric motor with a 12kWh Li-on battery. It weighs only 680kg and has a turning circle of 6.0m. It has a targeted range of 100 miles on NEDC, 130 miles on ECE15 and a top speed of 105kph.

Exemplary safety

The company recently achieved first class results in a second crash test on the vehicle - the EuroNCAP 50kph mobile deformable barrier (MDB) protocol, confirming the structural integrity of an iStream® manufactured chassis during a side impact.

The real world performance of T.27 closely correlated with simulation revealing virtually zero cabin intrusion during the dynamic phase of impacting.  The exemplary performance of T.27 in side impact presents a further milestone in vehicle safety development for the company.

The world’s most efficient electric car

In comparison with other electric cars the T.27 has much lower energy consumption: the Smart EV uses 29% more energy per km, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV uses 36% more energy per km, and the Mini-E uses 86% more energy per km, making the T.27 the most efficient electric car by some margin.

The T.27’s design and development represents an investment of £9 million, made possible through a £4.5 million investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. Iain Gray, the Board’s chief executive, said: ‘The Technology Strategy Board exists to help drive dynamic technological innovations such as the T.27 which are key to meeting our climate change goals’.