Gordon Murray designs most efficient electric car T.27

The Technology Strategy Board will provide £4 million as fraction of a new £9 million project to develop the prototypes of four T.27 electric city cars. The project will be led by Zylek Automotive and Gordon Murray Design, with technical supports from Continental Corporation, Michelin, Vocis Driveline Controls, VCA UK, ENAX and MIRA.

The project aims to manufacture four running three-seat electric vehicles that can accomplish four-star NCAP rating, in addition to good pedestrian safety. The cars will utilize Gordon Murray-designed iStream methodology, as well as Zylek’s highly efficient drivetrain.

According to the group, the T.27 is low weight. All of the electric car’s components are to be designed by using a computer and welded together, rather than stamping out metal sheets as with ordinary vehicles.  They call the innovative production process iStream, a simplified system that merely requires one-fifth of the space that traditional car manufacturing plants usually need.

The finished car is expected to be somewhat smaller than a Smart, but provides more interior space. The T.27 is predicted to have 63 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline-powered cars and 27 per cent lesser emissions than other models of electric cars.

Previously, Gordon Murray, best known for developing McLaren F1 supercar designs, had presented several concepts of a gasoline-powered car called the T.25. However, the UK government recently offered Murray’s company a £9 million fund to develop the electric version of T.25.

Murray said that the T.27 electric car, destined to become the world’s most efficient electric vehicle, is scheduled to be out by February 2011.