Concept Vehicles
Morgan to Show off an Electric Version of its Three-Wheeler at Goodwood
My love for quirky automobiles isn’t easy to hide. There is something about these misfits of the automotive world that draw me in and get me excited. The Morgan Motor Company and its three-wheeled contraptions certainly fit that bill.
Recently, the British automaker revealed that it would debut an electric-powered prototype of its Three-Wheeler at this year’s Goodwood festival, leading me to believe it is building a vehicle specifically to fit the narrowest niche of them all… me!
Dubbed the EV3, this small, electric trike is the ultimate example of modern technology meeting classic design. Morgan chose not to release some new, funky body for its first EV; instead, it took the classic-looking Three-Wheeler body, and crammed a powerful electric motor and some batteries in it.
Speaking of the electric drivetrain, the EV3 features a rear-mounted electric motor that delivers 75 kW (101 horsepower). Given that amount of horsepower, I can safely estimate that the EV3 will deliver around 165 pound-feet of immediately available torque. For those of you keeping score at home, the front-mounted V-twin engine in most Morgan Three-Wheelers produces 82 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque.
Not only is the EV3 more powerful than its gasoline-powered siblings, but it is also lighter at an anticipated curb weight of 450 kg (992 pounds). The gasoline-powered models weigh 525 kg (1,157 pounds). With more power that is also available lower in the rpm rage and a weight advantage of 165 pounds, it is safe to assume that the EV3 will easily beat the gasoline-powered Three-Wheeler’s 0-to-62 mph benchmark of six seconds.
In terms of range, Morgan expects the EV3 to travel up to 150 miles on a single charge.
The prototype EV3 will debut on June 25th at Goodwood, and Morgan anticipates having a production version ready near the end of 2016.
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