Most notably, part of this investment will fund the creation of a new business unit, Gordon Murray Electronic (GME), that will develop advanced electrified powertrains for global carmakers and tech companies. “The automotive future will be increasingly electrified and it’s essential that we design the world’s lightest, most efficient, and advanced EVs,” Murray said. And that’s exactly GME’s goal. Lightweight architecture has been Murray’s philosophy throughout his career and, as he told Autocar, he sees many lightweight opportunities in the electric vehicles he’s envisioning. Specifically, he commented that the B-segment design they’re creating can reduce about a third of the current total EV weight. Why is that important? Well, less weight simply means you need less energy to power your car, which in turn will increase its range. Murray also said that the firm’s first electric vehicle will take the form of “a little SUV with a compact delivery van derivative,” aimed to be a practical small car. In the meantime, GMG is still set on launching the bold T.50 supercar — featuring a gas-guzzling V-12 petrol engine — which will enter production in 2022. Despite the turn to electricity, the company has explicitly remarked it won’t abandon internal combustion power as long as regulations allow it. Do EVs excite your electrons? Do ebikes get your wheels spinning? Do self-driving cars get you all charged up? Then you need the weekly SHIFT newsletter in your life. Click here to sign up.
