UK Government pledges £9m support to develop all-electric urban car
Thu 05 November 2009
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The UK's Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has announced £9m funding for a project to develop an all-electric and affordable urban car manufactured using a sustainable production process. The development of the "T.27" car has been made possible through a £4.5million investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. The R&D project will develop four prototypes of the vehicle by February 2011.
The T.27 is an initiative of Gordon Murray Design and Zytek Automotive Technology. Its development has been made possible through a £4.5m investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. With a total cost of £9m the project will allow the consortium to develop four prototypes of the vehicle by February 2011.
The Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson 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."
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 after which the consortium can further explore the possibility of scaling up and building a manufacturing facility, with the ultimate goal of producing an affordable, fun and environmentally-friendly car widely available on the open market.
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