Plans for a new electric car have been revealed by Gordon Murray who has worked for McLaren F1 in the past. There are plans to create three prototypes of the vehicle in a period of 16 months.
The making of the car involves a new process called iStream and £9 million has been invested in the technology. Some of the money came as a grant from the Technology Strategy Board, an organization which helps support new innovations.
The cars will be made in iStream plants which are much smaller than traditional car plants, taking up as little as 20 percent of the space because electric cars do not require steel.
The components used to make the car are planned on a computer and fused together during manufacturing.
There will be three models of the electric car made. The T.27 has been created with driving in either the city or country in mind, and is reported to be affordable for potential buyers.
The cars are lightweight and come with obvious benefits for the environment. The car will go up to speeds of 60 miles per hour and its battery is designed to last approximately 100 miles, reports the
BBC.
Lord Drayson, Britain's Science and Innovation Minister, is set to give the car its first test run.
"The T27 is a great example of smart engineering and sustainable design," he said on the
Technology Strategy Board website. "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."
On the same site, designer Gordon Murray 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".
