Morgan and Frazer-Nash on electric drive
TWO great names from British motoring heritage are coming together to put the finishing touches to an electric sports car.
The Morgan Motor Company is linking up with Frazer-Nash Energy Systems to produce the EV3 – an electrified version of the two-seat 3 Wheeler Morgan launched six years ago.
Looking just as retro as the petrol model which harks back to the original Morgans of the 1930s, the EV3 is due to go into production later next year at the company’s Pickersleigh Road factory in Malvern, Worcestershire.
Morgan says the EV3 will have a range of around 120 miles on a single charge and is designed to deliver the same driving fun as the petrol version.
The EV3 will feature composite body panels which, along with the emission-free powertrain are being developed by Frazer-Nash Energy Systems which specialises in electric technology.
Steve Morris, managing director of the Morgan Motor Company, said: “We are delighted to announce our technical partnership with Frazer-Nash Energy Systems as we enter this exciting phase of EV3 production.
“We have been working closely on optimizing the EV3’s architecture in every way to develop a car which will offer proven reliability range and cooling performance, combined with the pure driving experience that is expected of every hand-crafted Morgan.”
As a result of the partnership, Morgan says the production EV3 will feature a more robust architecture, greater levels of torque and a stiffer chassis with a 21KWh lithium battery beneath the body.
The EV3 will be powered by a 34.8kW (46bhp) liquid cooled electric motor driving the rear wheel.
According to Morgan, the EV3 will provide occupants with a hands-on, exhilarating driving experience that has not previously been associated with electric vehicles. The production EV3 is anticipated to have comparable performance figures to its petrol sibling.
Morgan revealed it wanted to produce an electric car when it showed the Plus E concept in 2012. Plans for the EV3 were announced in 2016.
Noamaan Siddiqi , business development director at Frazer-Nash Energy Systems said: “We appreciate the heritage and craft that Morgan brings to the world of EV technology and we in turn will bring decades of EV expertise to ensure that EV3 customers will receive a car that is reliable, proven and exhilarating to drive, a thoroughbred Morgan.
“We are very pleased to be able to provide energy management and propulsion systems to the EV3. A lightweight, spirited driving experience beneath a coachbuilt body is key to the identity of any Morgan. This remains a core focus throughout the development of the EV3.”
The company, which is based in Surrey, takes its name from the famous sports car brand set up by Archibald Frazer-Nash in the 1920s which went on to produce some of the most cherished performance models of the immediate pre and post war years.