Zytek teams up with Gordon Murray for T.27, an all-electric version of the T.25
Posted Nov 6th 2009 1:01PM by Sebastian Blanco
Zytek Automotive has worked on electric drivetrains for the Smart ED and the Mercedes F1 KERS system. This week, Zytek announced a partnership with Gordon Murray Design for a new all-electric city car called the T.27. Gordon Murray is the force behind the T.25, the tiny three-seater that was designed to use a 660cc turbocharged engine. The T.27 is basically a plug-in version of the efficient T.25.
The UK government, through the Technology Strategy Board, is funding the project with 4.5 million pounds. This is half of the 9 million pounds it will take to make four prototypes by February 2011. Aside from the vehicles, the project will also:
Many more details after the jump.further explore the possibility of scaling up and building a manufacturing facility in the UK, with the ultimate goal of producing the T.27 in Britain; to keep the new technology and intellectual property rights within the UK; and to make this affordable, fun and environmentally friendly car available for purchase.
[Source: Gordon Murray Design]
PRESS RELEASE:
Gordon Murray Design and Zytek Automotive Announce Plans for Electric City Car Program
A new electric city car targeted for Britain using iStream(R), an innovative and sustainable production process
LONDON, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Gordon Murray Design and Zytek Automotive today announced an all-electric 3-seater city car, made possible through a 4.5m pounds Sterling (US $7.48M) investment from the UK-backed Technology Strategy Board. With a total cost of 9m pounds Sterling (US $14.9M), a new research and development project will allow the consortium to develop four prototypes by February 2011.
The 16-month project has several goals: to further explore the possibility of scaling up and building a manufacturing facility in the UK, with the ultimate goal of producing the T.27 in Britain; to keep the new technology and intellectual property rights within the UK; and to make this affordable, fun and environmentally friendly car available for purchase.
Professor Gordon Murray, Chief Executive and Technical Director of Gordon Murray Design said, "As we head towards the new industrial revolution brought about by rising energy costs and concern over the effects of green house gases, we at Gordon Murray Design feel proud to be working with the Technology Strategy Board in helping the UK play a leading role in tackling the issues we all face."
Vehicle manufacturers in the UK have to adapt to strict new EU emissions targets of 130g/km in 2012 that are to be placed on their fleets.
The T.27 will be the world's most efficient electric car due to its low weight and 'clean sheet of paper design'. This ambitious target cannot be achieved by applying a conventional stamped steel construction design, nor with a drivetrain using existing gearboxes, motors or batteries. Instead, an entirely fresh approach is proposed that accepts no compromise in safety, performance, range, space, weight, rolling resistance and ride quality. By applying iStream® methodology to the T.27, a new manufacturing process developed by Gordon Murray Design, and fully integrating it with a custom-designed lightweight, highly efficient drivetrain from Zytek, every aspect of the vehicle can be optimized. This holistic approach results in a car slightly smaller than a Smart, but with more interior space.
Murray added, "The iStream® manufacturing process behind the T.25 and T.27 is all about sustainable, low energy process by design. The T.27 program is a great opportunity for us and our partners to create what will be the world's most efficient electric vehicle. An opportunity to start from a clean sheet of paper combined with our disruptive manufacturing technology will result in a product which truly pushes the boundaries of urban vehicle design and further protecting our mobility."
A similar approach was used by Gordon Murray Design for a 3-seater gasoline-powered car (T.25) which is receiving significant market interest. The T.25 program provides confidence that the T.27 aims are 100% achievable. T.27 will also set new standards in environmental sustainability. High level life cycle analysis derived from T.25 data predicts life-cycle emissions 63% less than the average car and, for the T.27 life-cycle, emissions 27% less than the nearest EV rival, which is partly due to the iStream® manufacturing approach. Rival compact city car EVs do not simultaneously address all of the factors noted above and so this combination of attributes addresses a substantial market opportunity.
Zytek has designed and integrated electric drive systems for a wide range of European and US vehicle manufacturers and is currently building high performance electric drivetrains up to 70kW and 300Nm for cars, buses and light commercial vehicles. The T.27 focuses on 'efficient performance' with all aspects of the drivetrain designed to maximise efficiency and minimise weight. The motor, power electronics and gearbox will form a single, highly integrated unit designed specifically for the performance requirements of the T.27, but offering scalability to heavier vehicles as required.
The T.27 is a sustainable vehicle, which means that it has been designed in a way that minimizes the use of materials and keeps the embedded carbon that is present throughout the life cycle of the vehicle as low as possible. The goal is to ensure that the environmental impact of the materials and energy that are used are as low as can be. The iStream production process is also highly efficient and flexible to minimize the cost of production.
"Gordon has succeeded in building a consortium that shares his commitment to transforming how we design, source, engineer, manufacture and bring to market new automobiles," said Gordon Murray Design board member and MDV General Partner Jonathan Feiber. "This program is innovative in every sense of the word. It marks a turning point in what's possible for city cars."
About Gordon Murray Design
Gordon Murray Design Limited is a new British company operating from Shalford in Surrey. The company aims to be the world leader in automotive design and reverses the current industry trend for sub-contracting by having a complete in-house capability for design, prototyping and development. The company will remain compact and focused and will undertake automotive and other engineering programmes in an efficient and innovative way. Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures is an investor. For more information please visit www.gordonmurraydesign.com.
About Zytek Automotive
Zytek Automotive Limited is a British engineering company with a reputation for success, pursued both on and off the track. Its substantial automotive engineering experience has been gained by providing major vehicle manufacturers with advanced powertrain and chassis control systems. This expertise 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. For more information please visit www.zytekgroup.co.uk.
About Technology Strategy Board
The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive non-departmental public body, established by the British government. Its role is to promote and support research into, and development and exploitation of, technology and innovation for the benefit of UK business, in order to increase economic growth and improve the quality of life. It is sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike 3:40PM (11/06/2009)
has the t.25 been shown yet ?
That's one I was interested to see.
Reply
skierpage 7:15PM (11/06/2009)
Someone, I think UK's Car magazine, drove around in the gasoline-powered T.25 bodyless shell and loved the performance and handling.
I don't think Gordon Murray Design *has* a body design for the T.25 or T.27. That's a problem because when the blogosphere sees pictures of people driving the pressed metal frame, they're derisive about the non-existent looks. It's a superficial world.
Poor UK, they have a genius car designer and talented engineering companies like Zytek (which lost out to Tesla and a French factory when it came to producing electric Smart cars) and PML Flightlink (which made the quad motor electric Mini conversion then went insolvent) but no native large-scale auto industry to adopt his design, and no British billionaire willing to shell out the large sums to create a new car company. Maybe now that the Opel Magna deal is toast, some Russian oligarch will buy the design to revitalize Lada, Tata, Volga, ZiL ...
"US $14.9M... to develop four prototypes by February 2011". That's miniscule compared with the DoE loans.
mike 8:59PM (11/06/2009)
@skierpage
Thanks very much. I went digging and found this:
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/242828/
http://www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/stillatthewheel/archive/2009/09/02/why-gordon-murray-must-be-taken-seriously.aspx
I think it must be what you are referring to.
The first is a tease for the article complete with about 19 pics and the second is a short write up on the blog of the author of the article for the magazine - the guy who actually drove the mule.
From what I gather though, what he drove was not even a bodyless shell of the t.25 but rather just a proof-of-concept engineering mule built to mimic the power, size, weight, suspension setup which the t.25 will be using.
My take was that a body would be part of the design as it mentions two doors.
Anyhow... thanks for the tip.
nikki 5:40PM (11/10/2009)
The problem with engineering mules is that they should be just that; Kept behind closed doors.
Until there's a vehicle which the public can actually drive, or imagine driving, there's nothing to be had for releasing pictures like those of the T27 mule. It's just counter-productive.
We have a hard enough time as it is in the UK convincing folks that EVs are a sensible and viable option. Let's wait until the Zytek-Murray car is real....
Reply