Government Announces £9m
Funding for new, Sustainably-Manufactured Electric City Car
Embargoed until 0001, Thursday 5 November 2009
A project to develop a new all-electric and
affordable urban car, manufactured using an innovative and
sustainable production process is announced today.
The development of the T.27 - the brain child of Gordon Murray
Design and Zytek Automotive Technology - has been made possible
through a £4.5m investment from the government-backed Technology
Strategy Board. With a total cost of £9m, a new research and
development project will allow the consortium to develop four
prototypes of the vehicle by February 2011.
Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson, who today will test
drive the T.25 - the existing petrol version of the car – said:
“The T27 is a great example of smart engineering and sustainable
design. It’s timely too, as the UK must demonstrate its readiness
to exploit the emerging low-carbon vehicles market. The challenge
is far greater than simply meeting stricter EU emissions targets.
We need to expand our car industry through green innovation.
The T.27 is a sustainable vehicle, which means it will be
designed in a way that minimises the use of materials and keeps
the vehicle’s embedded carbon as low as possible. The aim is to
ensure that the environmental impact of the materials and energy
used are as low as can be. The iStream® production process is also
highly-efficient and flexible, thereby helping to reduce costs.
Gordon Murray, Chief Executive and Technical Director of Gordon
Murray Design said:
“The iStream® manufacturing process behind the T.25 and T.27 is
all about sustainable, low energy process by design. The T.27
programme 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”.
The aim of the 16 month project is to develop prototypes that
will put the consortium in the position where they can further
explore the possibility of scaling up and building a manufacturing
facility, with the ultimate goal of making this affordable, fun
and environmentally-friendly car widely available on the open
market.
Notes to Editors
1. Consortium partners for the T.27 project are Gordon Murray
Design as the lead organisation and Zytek Automotive Limited.
Technical support will be provided by Michelin Plc and Continental
Corporation and sub-contractors will include MIRA Limited, Vocis
Driveline Controls, VCA UK, and ENAX.
2. The T.27 project will produce four running prototypes of a
3-seater all-electric vehicle achievable of 4-star Euro NCAP
rating and excellent pedestrian safety. 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; accepting no compromise in safety,
performance, range, space, weight, rolling resistance, ride
quality, etc. 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 and partners, every aspect of the
vehicle can be optimised. This holistic approach results in a car
slightly smaller than a Smart, but with more interior space. A
similar approach was used by Gordon Murray Design for a 3-seater
petrol-driven car (T.25) which is receiving significant market
interest. The T.25 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 similar EVs
which is partly due to the iStream® manufacturing approach. The
T27 is unique in that it simultaneously addresses all of the
factors noted above and this combination of attributes is highly
marketable.
3. Public funding for the T.27 will leverage equivalent private
funding and the project outcomes will help justify the required
follow-on commercial investment to take the vehicle into
manufacture by providing a body of evidence that the concept is a
viable design for production. The 16 month project has several
aims; to position the consortium positively 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 this
country; keeping the new technology and IPR within the UK; making
this affordable, fun and environmentally friendly car widely
available on the open market.
4. The iStream® assembly process is a complete rethink and
redesign of the traditional manufacturing process and could
potentially be the biggest revolution in high volume manufacture
since the Model T. Development of the process began over 15 years
ago and it has already won the prestigious 2008 ‘Idea of the Year’
award from Autocar who were given privileged access in order to
make their assessment. The simplified assembly process means that
the manufacturing plant can be designed to be 20% of the size of a
conventional factory. This could reduce capital investment in the
assembly plant by approximately 80%. Yet the flexibility of this
assembly process means that the same factory could be used to
manufacture different variants. The iStream® design process is a
complete re-think on high volume materials, as well as the
manufacturing process and will lead to a significant reduction in
CO2 emissions over the lifecycle of the vehicles produced using
it, compared with conventional ones.
5. Gordon Murray Design Limited is a new British company
operating from Shalford in Surrey. The new 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.
For more information please contact Tiffany Hutt on 07872 190103.
www.gordonmurraydesign.com
6. Zytek AutomotiveTechnology 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 contact
Steve Tremble on 07836 376090 www.zytekgroup.co.uk.
7. Vehicle manufacturers worldwide will have to adapt to the new
EU CO 2 emissions target of 130g/km, which is to be placed on
their sales fleets in 2012.
8. The Technology Strategy Board is a business-led executive
non-departmental public body, established by the 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
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is
building a dynamic and competitive UK economy by: creating the
conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise
and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to
succeed. To achieve this it will foster world-class universities
and promote an open global economy. BIS - Investing in our future.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Una Flynn
Phone: 020 7215 5256
Una.Flynn@bis.gsi.gov.uk