Gordon Murray Design Toray TEEWAVE AR.1 electric vehicle
Gordon Murray Design, the company run by the man behind the original McLaren F1 road car, has come up with a new roadster called the TEEWAVE AR.1, in conjunction with Toray Industries. It features a fully electric powertrain and a sporty open-top roadster layout.
The TEEWAVE AR.1 is powered by an electric powertrain taken from the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. It consists of a 16kWh lithium-ion battery pack powering a 47kW/180Nm motor driving the rear wheels. The system provides a full-charge range of around 186km, and can be fully recharged in six hours.
Although it's not meant to be a rip-snorting supercar, the TEEWAVE AR.1 features a lightweight carbon fibre monocoque chassis which helps to keep overall weight down. The TEEWAVE tips the scales at 850kg, despite the heavy electric powertrain.
Gordon Murray Design says the TEEWAVE is capable of accelerating from 0-100km/h in 11.4 seconds, a fraction quicker than the normal Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which is tested at 12.1 seconds. The TEEWAVE also has a top speed of 147km/h. Murray recently spoke about the new model, saying,
"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."
The TEEWAVE AR.1 is just a prototype at this stage and will be used for evaluation purposes. What do you think of it?
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