Morgan Plus E – old school goes electric in Geneva

Morgan Plus E – old school goes electric in Geneva

Morgan Motor Company has debuted an electric sportscar concept – with a five-speed manual gearbox – in Geneva. The Plus E, as it’s called, has been designed together with British tech specialists Zytek and Radshape, and it’ll be used to gauge market reaction to see if there’s sufficient demand to put the electric roadster into production.

The EV is based on a tailored version of Morgan’s lightweight aluminium platform chassis and clothed in the revised ‘traditional’ body from the new BMW V8-powered Plus 8, which is also a Geneva debutant.

Morgan Plus E – old school goes electric in Geneva

Power comes courtesy of a new derivative of Zytek’s 94 hp and 300Nm electric engine, already proven with US vehicle manufacturers. Mounted in the transmission tunnel, the Zytek unit drives the rear wheels through a conventional five-speed manual gearbox.

Here, the clutch is retained, but because the motor provides torque from zero speed, the driver can choose to leave it engaged when coming to rest and pulling away, driving the car like a conventional automatic.

Morgan Plus E – old school goes electric in Geneva

The boffins at Zytek say that a multi-speed transmission allows the motor to spend more time operating in its sweet spot, where it uses energy more efficiently, particularly at high road speeds. It also allows the use of lower gearing for rapid acceleration, making the car more engaging for keen drivers.

The programme will deliver two engineering concept vehicles. The first, with the five-speed manual box and Li-ion batteries, will be used for preliminary engineering assessment, while the second will be closer to potential production specification, utilising alternative battery technologies and possibly a sequential gearbox.

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Anthony Lim

Anthony Lim believes that nothing is better than a good smoke and a car with character, with good handling aspects being top of the prize heap. Having spent more than a decade and a half with an English tabloid daily never being able to grasp the meaning of brevity or being succinct, he wags his tail furiously at the idea of waffling - in greater detail - about cars and all their intrinsic peculiarities here.

 

Comments

  • Y is there an exhaust pipe n muffler on d EV in d 3rd pic?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
    • runabout on Mar 08, 2012 at 10:35 am

      This line could be the answer.
      “clothed in the revised ‘traditional’ body from the new BMW V8-powered Plus 8”

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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