Yamaha Electric Motorcycles Get Production Greenlight

The Yamaha PES1 and PED1 electric motorcycles debuted at the 2013 Toyko Auto Show, and the Japanese motorcycle maker has greenlit both for production. This marks Yamaha’s entry into the growing electric motorcycle market, and could disrupt the domination of startups like Zero and Brammo.

In its annual report, Yamaha slyly announced that its two electric motorcycle concepts would enter production in 2016. While the PED1 is aimed at dirt bikers wanting a zero emissions motorcycle, the PES1 is designed with street and track racing in mind, even though both concepts use the same motor and transmission.

Yamaha hasn’t released any sort of performance specifications yet, but is promising both bikes will be quite light. The concept PES1 tipped the scales at just 221 pounds, and the PED1 comes in at an even-lighter 187 pounds. That’s a full 200 pounds lighter than the Zero ZF11.4 electric streetbike, and is due in large part to the minimalist styling of these Yamaha EVs.

Speaking of which, this isn’t Yamaha’s first foray into the world of electric motorsports, having signed on with Gordon Murray to produce an electric city car with a futuristic look. Yamaha also has some experience in the field of electric scooters. Add in pair of electric motorcycles to add to its lineup, and Yamaha could begin positioning itself as a 21st century leader in zero emissions mobility.

For a company best known for its motorcycles, it’s quite a leap that also shows a fair amount of foresight on Yamaha’s part. Will other motorcycle makers get the hint and join the EV bandwagon? Will we ever see an electric Harley? Don’t hold your breathe for that one.

Source: Visor Down

Yamaha and Gordon Murray Team Up For Motiv City Car

Remember the Gordon Murray-designed T.27 and T.27 electric city vehicles? Well those vehicles were built to demonstrate Murray’s new iStream design and assembly system, designed to streamline production. Yamaha announced that it would be the first automaker to embrace Murray’s system, producing a line of gas and electric-powered city cars aimed at Europe.

The Yamaha Motiv, as it will be called, still requires production approval from the tippy-top, but things seem solid enough to make this major announcement. Murray and Yamaha first discussed such a vehicle 5 years ago, but the project didn’t really begin until 2011, as the curtain of the global recession finally started to lift.

What sets apart Murray’s iStream process is the elimination of metal stamping and spot-welding vehicles together, instead settling for a simple tubular frame surrounded by composite materials making up the walls, roof, and floor. The outside body panels provide no structural support to the car, allowing them to be easily changed for different looks and models, and the body panels are glued onto the car, rather than bolted on, saving weight and time during the assembly process.

The Motiv-e will use a 33-horsepower electric motor allowing for a top speed of 65 mph, and a 0 to 60 mph time of “less than 15 seconds.” The gas-powered Motiv will use an exclusive three-cylinder engine connected to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission powering the rear wheels. 0 to 60 mph should take less than ten seconds, and the gas-powered two-seater will have a top speed of 100 mph.

Pricing hasn’t been set, but should fall in the same range as the similarly-sized SmartCar, starting around $12,000 and reaching over $19,000 depending on the model and options. While Yamaha is only looking at Europe for its new small-car effort, if successful Murray’s new design process could be copied and adapted for other markets…including America.

Source: Yamaha

Gordon Murray’s T27 City Car Set to Begin Production

Gordon Murray is a big name in the automotive world, having been responsible for McLaren’s most famous road and racecars, as well as the lesser-known Teewave AR1 EV. Murray is also the genius behind the T27 city car shown here, which was first revealed over 2 years ago and is – finally! – headed to production.

On his “Planet Murray” blog, Murray made the following T27 announcement back in July:

Official press drives were organised for the T25 and T27 exclusively with Autocar, Top Gear and Fifth Gear, and I’m delighted to report that everyone enjoyed their driving experience in our little cars. The T25 and T27 concept has now been sold to a customer and with a following wind a lot more drivers should be able to enjoy the centre drive experience in 2016!

Murray isn’t building the cars himself (that was never part of the plan, according to Green Car Reports), but has sold the plans and whatever tooling he has to another, more established manufacturer to get the T27 into production. The real question, of course, is “who?”. “It’s a pity that in most cases we cannot mention customers by name or to talk publicly about the projects at this time,” says Murray, “but I am hoping that we’ll have some exciting products and programs to share with you very soon.”

You can read more about the announcement, and check out a few more T27 city car photos, by clicking the Green Car Reports link at the bottom of this article.

Source: Planet Murray, via Green Car Reports.

Gordon Murray T.27 EV overall winner of 2nd annual Brighton to London RAC Future Car Challenge

Overall winner of the second annual Brighton to London RAC (Royal Automotive Club) Future Car Challenge on 5 November was former Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray and his T.27 electric vehicle. (Earlier post.)

More than 65 low-emission vehicles—some not seen on UK roads before—completed the Challenge. The event, which was inaugurated last year, challenges entrants to use the least amount of energy driving the 60-mile route.

It is the first time we have showcased the T.27 on the UK roads. This is the only event in the world that demonstrates real cars, in real conditions, that is measured independently and in the public eye. It’s a fantastic showcase for technology and The Royal Automobile Club should be proud of the event. Last year we won with our petrol car the T.25 entry and this year our electric car the T.27. Both of which clearly demonstrates that lightweight is the biggest tool we have for reducing emissions. To win this event is truly special and could not have been achieved without the 50% grant from the Technology Strategy Board and my team.

—Gordon Murray

The event was organized in three different entrants classes and seven vehicle categories—from small passenger classes to light commercial vehicles. There were five vehicle energy classes: Pure Electric (EV); Extended-Range/Plug-In Hybrid (E-REV, PHEV); Hybrid (HV, HEV); Hydrogen (HFEV); and Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)—up to 110g/km CO₂ emission fueled by any legal means.

Those taking part ranged from enthusiasts driving their own vehicles to major car manufacturers including BMW, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Renault, smart, Toyota, Vauxhall, Volkswagen and Land Rover. Many of the vehicles, such as the Land Rover Range_e, BMW Active-e and Volkswagen Golf Blue e-motion will not be on sale for two or more years and had rarely been seen on UK roads.

As well as low-emission conventional (internal combustion) engined cars, the entry list included electric vehicles, hybrid models and cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Source: Green Car Congress

Gordon Murray Design and Toray Announce Electric Sportscar

PRESS RELEASE

Today Gordon Murray Design Limited and Toray Industries Inc announce a prototype electric sports car named TEEWAVE AR.1

The AR.1 had an internal GMD code number of ' T.32' and the car is the result of a commission from Toray for Gordon Murray Design to design, tool and build a fully functioning prototype vehicle which utilises many of Toray's advanced automotive materials in order to achieve Toray's basic concept of an attractive vehicle for everyone.

The 2-seater sports car is designed to use the Toray carbon fibre component system with a process time of less than 10 minutes. A carbon monocoque, one of the key technologies of TEEWAVE, can be applied to all types of vehicle other than the 2-seater sports car.

The entire programme from concept discussions to running vehicle took just 9 months and was delivered on target, both in terms of cost and final handover. The power train in the vehicle are the base components used in one of the commercial electric vehicles currently available, but the unique electrical architecture and control units were developed by Gordon Murray Design.

A carbon front crash structure was designed and developed for the car. A Full vehicle Euro Ncap O.D.B test was simulated in addition to a rigid barrier dynamic impact. A correlation process was conducted on the front crash structure for both half energy and full energy using physical tests. Quasi -static bend and torsion analysis was also conducted.

The AR.1 has a remarkably low weight of just 850kg (including the 240kg battery) putting the car firmly in Lotus Elise territory and some 400kg lighter than a Tesla. The ultimate performance is limited by an output figure of 47kw but a torque of 180 Nm available from a standing start results in lively acceleration.

A great deal of attention has been given to the low weight, low centre of gravity and suspension geometry which has resulted in an excellent ride and handling balance.

The concept design team included Barry Lett, Frank Coppuck, Kevin Richards and Gordon Murray. Exterior and interior styling was designed by Zachary Seward, Kevin Richards, Barry Lett and Gordon Murray. The project leader at Gordon Murray Design was Mark Lewis.

The main architecture design team was led by Barry Lett and the engineering, composites and analysis team were led by Frank Coppuck, while the electrical system and power train design was by Dr Ralph Clague.

Gordon Murray Designs' world class prototype build team ensured the vehicle was built to schedule and Gordon Murray Designs exacting standards.

At all stages during design and development Gordon Murray Design and Toray worked very closely on the design, use of materials and Toray's automotive applications.

The Toray team consisted of Toru Yamanaka, Project Leader, Nobuhiko Shimizu, Project Manager, Yukitane Kimoto, Composite Team Leader, Yoshito Kuroda, Yuki Sakamoto, Kosaku Hashimoto, Composite Team, Alan Riley, UK Composite Handling and Osamu Goto, Project Advisor from Geo Technology.

Professor Gordon Murray of Gordon Murray Design said:

"It has been a pleasure to work with Toray Industries' team on this challenging project. The resultant vehicle weight of just 850Kg achieved using Toray's carbon fibre once again proves that performance through light weight is the most efficient and environmentally friendly way to achieve power to weight targets."

Toray Industries said:

"Toray is happy to work with the Gordon Murray Design team to achieve Toray's basic concept of an eco-friendly and highly efficient light weight electric concept vehicle, TEEWAVE. It should be viewed as a flagship for embodying our Green Innovation Project in the automotive field."

Toray and Gordon Murray unveil carbon-fiber T-Wave AR1 Concept EV Sports Car

Toray has teamed up with Gordon Murray Design (creator of the T.27 city EV, to create the T-Wave AR1, a concept EV two-seater to demonstrate the extreme weight savings possible with Toray’s carbon fiber composites.

T-Wave AR1. Click to enlarge.

The T-Wave AR1 has a range of 185 km (115 miles) and a top speed of 147 km/h (91 mph). Although it is a concept car, the existing design could be homologated for road use.

The use of carbon fiber for the frame as well as more typical parts, such as exterior body panels and seats, keeps the weight down to 846 kg (1,865 lbs). A four-seat implementation of the design would add 129 kg (284 lbs). For comparison, the curb weight of the Tesla Roadster is 1,235 kg (2,723 lbs)—46% more than the T-Wave AR1.

The use of carbon fiber in the frame makes it 10 times stronger than the steel equivalent; it will also absorb 2.5x more energy in a collision.

Despite the challenge of cost, Toray Vice-President Chiaki Tanaka was upbeat about expanding the use of carbon fiber in automotive applications: “We want to see supply [of carbon fiber advanced materials] not just to high-end luxury cars, but to everyday vehicles as well.” Toray’s aim is to see this happening in earnest from around 2015.

The T-Wave will be featured at the Toray Advanced Materials Symposium at the Tokyo International Forum from 14 to 15 September, 2011.

Source: Green Car Congress

T.27 Unveiled - The Worlds Most Efficient Electric Car

PRESS RELEASE

At an event held at the RAC, Pall Mall, London Gordon Murray Design has today unveiled their latest ultra compact city vehicle, T.27, the world’s most efficient electric car.

The design and development programme for T.27 is a £9 million project, made possible through a £4.5 million investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. From a clean sheet of paper to a running prototype the programme has taken just 17 months including the design and build of a completely new electric powertrain by Zytek Automotive Ltd, one of the Consortium partners.

T.27 specifically targets the urban city environment via a unique, holistic, manufacturing process (‘iStream®’) developed by Consortium lead partner Gordon Murray Design, it aims to significantly reduce lifecycle impacts and enable low cost, efficient manufacture within the UK. The electric car sets new standards in weight, footprint, small car dynamics, safety, packaging and efficiency whilst addressing full lifecycle CO2 emissions, congestion, parking and low cost motoring.

Gordon Murray Design’s patented iStream® manufacturing technology has produced new levels of lightweight structure and safety in city cars. The iFrame geometry in the T.27 has allowed every aspect of the vehicle to be optimised including Zytek Automotive’s integrated powertrain, another world first.

Unveiling the T.27, Professor Gordon Murray, CEO of Gordon Murray Design said:

“Lightweight is the most powerful tool we have in our armoury in the fight against emissions and fuel consumption. This is true of all cars and especially so with electric vehicles! A lightweight car means a lightweight battery increasing the levels of safety and reducing the retail price dramatically.” The T.27 represents a huge step forward in protecting our mobility and our environment.

Gordon Murray Design recently achieved first class results in a second crash test on the vehicle - the EuroNCAP 50kph mobile deformable barrier (MDB) protocol, confirming the structural integrity of an iStream® manufactured chassis during a side impact.

The real world performance of T.27 closely correlated with simulation revealing virtually zero cabin intrusion during the dynamic phase of impacting. The exemplary performance of T.27 in side impact presents a further milestone in vehicle safety development for the company.

The Consortium also released today the updated specification and performance targets for T.27:

Vehicle Specification

eMotor:	25kW	Height:	1.60m
Battery Type:	Li-Ion	Weight:	680Kg (incl. battery)
Battery Spec.	12kWh	Wheel Base:	1.78m
Length:	2.50m	Turning Circle:	6.0m
Width	1.30m

Performance Targets

Top Speed:	105kph
0-100kph:	Less than 15 seconds
Range:	100 miles on NEDC, 130 miles on ECE15

In comparison to other electric cars the T.27 has much lower energy consumption per mile, the Smart EV uses 29% more energy per km, the Mitsubishi iMiEV uses 36% more energy per km, and the Mini-E uses 86% more energy per km, making the T.27 the most efficient electric car by some margin.

Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board said:

“I must congratulate Gordon Murray Design and their partners for developing the T.27 prototype – and in rapid time. The growing pressure for more environmentally friendly transport, from both customers and regulators, is creating new business opportunities in the fast-developing market for low carbon vehicles. The Technology Strategy Board exists to help drive dynamic technological innovations such as the T.27, which are key to meeting our climate change goals.”

Gordon Murray Design is currently talking to three possible manufacturers for T.27. The car will make its public road debut at the RAC Future Car Challenge on 5th November 2011.

At an event held at the RAC, Pall Mall, London Gordon Murray Design has today unveiled their latest ultra compact city vehicle, T.27, the world’s most efficient electric car.

The design and development programme for T.27 is a £9 million project, made possible through a £4.5 million investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. From a clean sheet of paper to a running prototype the programme has taken just 17 months including the design and build of a completely new electric powertrain by Zytek Automotive Ltd, one of the Consortium partners.

T.27 specifically targets the urban city environment via a unique, holistic, manufacturing process (‘iStream®’) developed by Consortium lead partner Gordon Murray Design, it aims to significantly reduce lifecycle impacts and enable low cost, efficient manufacture within the UK. The electric car sets new standards in weight, footprint, small car dynamics, safety, packaging and efficiency whilst addressing full lifecycle CO2 emissions, congestion, parking and low cost motoring.

Gordon Murray Design’s patented iStream manufacturing technology has produced new levels of lightweight structure and safety in city cars. The iFrame geometry in the T.27 has allowed every aspect of the vehicle to be optimised including Zytek Automotive’s integrated powertrain, another world first.

Unveiling the T.27, Professor Gordon Murray, CEO of Gordon Murray Design said:

“Lightweight is the most powerful tool we have in our armoury in the fight against emissions and fuel consumption. This is true of all cars and especially so with electric vehicles! A lightweight car means a lightweight battery increasing the levels of safety and reducing the retail price dramatically.” The T.27 represents a huge step forward in protecting our mobility and our environment.

Gordon Murray Design recently achieved first class results in a second crash test on the vehicle – the EuroNCAP 50kph mobile deformable barrier (MDB) protocol, confirming the structural integrity of an iStream® manufactured chassis during a side impact.

The real world performance of T.27 closely correlated with simulation revealing virtually zero cabin intrusion during the dynamic phase of impacting. The exemplary performance of T.27 in side impact presents a further milestone in vehicle safety development for the company.
In comparison to other electric cars the T.27 has much lower energy consumption per mile, the Smart EV uses 29% more energy per km, the Mitsubishi iMiEV uses 36% more energy per km, and the Mini-E uses 86% more energy per km, making the T.27 the most efficient electric car by some margin.

Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board said:

“I must congratulate Gordon Murray Design and their partners for developing the T.27 prototype – and in rapid time. The growing pressure for more environmentally friendly transport, from both customers and regulators, is creating new business opportunities in the fast-developing market for low carbon vehicles. The Technology Strategy Board exists to help drive dynamic technological innovations such as the T.27, which are key to meeting our climate change goals.”

Gordon Murray Design is currently talking to three possible manufacturers for T.27. The car will make its public road debut at the RAC Future Car Challenge on 5th November 2011.

Source: Gas 2.0 (http://s.tt/12OTF)

At an event held at the RAC, Pall Mall, London Gordon Murray Design has today unveiled their latest ultra compact city vehicle, T.27, the world’s most efficient electric car.

The design and development programme for T.27 is a £9 million project, made possible through a £4.5 million investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board. From a clean sheet of paper to a running prototype the programme has taken just 17 months including the design and build of a completely new electric powertrain by Zytek Automotive Ltd, one of the Consortium partners.

T.27 specifically targets the urban city environment via a unique, holistic, manufacturing process (‘iStream®’) developed by Consortium lead partner Gordon Murray Design, it aims to significantly reduce lifecycle impacts and enable low cost, efficient manufacture within the UK. The electric car sets new standards in weight, footprint, small car dynamics, safety, packaging and efficiency whilst addressing full lifecycle CO2 emissions, congestion, parking and low cost motoring.

Gordon Murray Design’s patented iStream manufacturing technology has produced new levels of lightweight structure and safety in city cars. The iFrame geometry in the T.27 has allowed every aspect of the vehicle to be optimised including Zytek Automotive’s integrated powertrain, another world first.

Unveiling the T.27, Professor Gordon Murray, CEO of Gordon Murray Design said:

“Lightweight is the most powerful tool we have in our armoury in the fight against emissions and fuel consumption. This is true of all cars and especially so with electric vehicles! A lightweight car means a lightweight battery increasing the levels of safety and reducing the retail price dramatically.” The T.27 represents a huge step forward in protecting our mobility and our environment.

Gordon Murray Design recently achieved first class results in a second crash test on the vehicle – the EuroNCAP 50kph mobile deformable barrier (MDB) protocol, confirming the structural integrity of an iStream® manufactured chassis during a side impact.

The real world performance of T.27 closely correlated with simulation revealing virtually zero cabin intrusion during the dynamic phase of impacting. The exemplary performance of T.27 in side impact presents a further milestone in vehicle safety development for the company.
In comparison to other electric cars the T.27 has much lower energy consumption per mile, the Smart EV uses 29% more energy per km, the Mitsubishi iMiEV uses 36% more energy per km, and the Mini-E uses 86% more energy per km, making the T.27 the most efficient electric car by some margin.

Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board said:

“I must congratulate Gordon Murray Design and their partners for developing the T.27 prototype – and in rapid time. The growing pressure for more environmentally friendly transport, from both customers and regulators, is creating new business opportunities in the fast-developing market for low carbon vehicles. The Technology Strategy Board exists to help drive dynamic technological innovations such as the T.27, which are key to meeting our climate change goals.”

Gordon Murray Design is currently talking to three possible manufacturers for T.27. The car will make its public road debut at the RAC Future Car Challenge on 5th November 2011.

Source: Gas 2.0 (http://s.tt/12OTF)