Almost overlooked amongst the hype of the Geneva Motor Show was a debut by iconic British sports car brand Morgan – an electric version of the Plus 8 sports car called the ‘Plus E’.
While the regular Morgan Plus 8 is powered by a V8 BMW petrol engine, the Plus E employs a Zytec-developed 70kW/300Nm electric motor driving through a five-speed manual transmission.
Morgan has developed the Plus E to test customer reaction.
“We wanted to see how much fun you can have in an electric sports car, so we built one to find out,” explained Morgan’s Steve Morris. “The Plus E combines Morgan’s traditional look with high-technology construction and a powertrain that delivers substantial torque instantly at any speed. With the manual gearbox to increase both touring range and driver involvement, it will be a fantastic car to drive.”
Morgan mounts the electric motor in the transmission tunnel and drive is via a conventional clutch and five-speed manual transmission. However you can leave the clutch engaged when stationary and the Morgan Plus E then drives like a conventional automatic.
“A multi-speed transmission allows the motor to spend more time operating in its sweet spot where it uses energy more efficiently, particularly at high road speeds,” explained Zytek’s Neil Heslington. “It also allows us to provide lower gearing for rapid acceleration and will make the car more engaging for keen drivers.”
While the car shown in Geneva uses lithium ion batteries, Morgan says before production commences it is researching alternative battery technologies and may swap to a sequential gearbox.
