Midland companies collaborate on Morgan electric sports car
THREE Midlands businesses are working in collaboration to develop a new high-performance electric sports car.
Malvern based Morgan Motors has linked up with Birmingham’s Radshape and Lichfield based Zytek for the Morgan +E programme.
The project aims to deliver two engineering concept vehicles early in 2012. Both will be based on a development of the Morgan Aero Supersport’s aluminium chassis with the 4.8 litre BMW V8 replaced by a new derivative of Zytek’s high power-density electric powertrain driving through a conventional manual gearbox.
The collaborative research and development project is being part-funded by a £100,000 grant from the Niche Vehicle Network CR&D Programme, which is managed by CENEX – the Centre of Excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies.
The programme provides support and grant funding to groups of companies active in the niche vehicle sector. It promotes the development and application of new technology to take advantage of the increasing market opportunities for lower carbon vehicles.
Steve Morris, Morgan’s operations director, said: “This is an exciting investigation into the potential for a zero-emissions Morgan with near supercar performance.
“By working closely with Zytek and Radshape, who already have considerable expertise in this field, we aim to make this a realistic concept that could lead to further developments if demand and other factors prove favourable.”
Zytek’s first EV venture was in 1997 when it converted a Lotus Elise to electric drive. The award-winning design led to engineering programmes with Chrysler and General Motors, closely followed by a long-term relationship with Daimler to develop and build electric powertrains for the smart fortwo ed (electric drive) car.
In motorsport, Zytek was the first company to race a hybrid at Le Mans and supplied technology for the first KERS-equipped Formula 1 car to win a grand prix. A new lost cost KERS has also been developed by Zytek and has been tested by Honda for potential use in the 2012 super GT series.
The prototype Morgan will use a new derivative of Zytek’s proven 70kW (94bhp) 300Nm electric powertrain, which is already supplied to US vehicle manufacturers. The compact, lightweight unit will be installed in the transmission tunnel and will require just three additional connections – cooling water, high voltage electrics and low voltage electrics.
Power will come from a Li-Ion battery pack integrated into the vehicle’s aluminium structure. The powertrain and batteries will be mounted in a bonded and riveted aluminium chassis constructed by precision metal former Radshape. This will be based on an evolution of the design already manufactured by the company for Morgan’s Supersports range.
Steve Tremble, Zytek’s sales and marketing director, said the Morgan concept showed the ease with which the company’s technology could be integrated with a rear-wheel drive platform.
Keith Chadwick, managing director of Radshape, said: “Access to CENEX funding will allow British companies to demonstrate their world-class expertise. The UK has many of the world’s most capable specialists in low-carbon vehicle technologies and projects such as the Morgan +E are an outstanding way for us to bring our considerable expertise to life.”
