Tiny car gets 350 mpg, beats corporate competitors in energy derby

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The T.27, an all-electric car with a lightweight composite chassis, won the Future Car Challenge sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) by completing a 57.13 mile course between Brighton and London on less energy than its fellow competitors. Carrying two occupants, the T.27 consumed only 7 kilowatt hours of electricity, which is about equal to 350 miles per gallon, according to the company. The total energy bill came to 64 pence, or about $1.03.

Second place went to an electrified Jaguar E-Type from Germany which consumed 8.5 kilowatt hours. Tesla Roadsters, Nissan Leafs, an electrified Citroen, a Honda Insight and a few diesels also competed. (See full results here.)

Besides winning the small car efficiency race, the RAC gave the car the best EV award and best overall entry award.

Murray, a noted race car designer whose cars won world championships at Brabham and McLaren, is on a quest to get cars to lose weight. By swapping out steel components for parts made from structurally strong plastic or composites, car manufacturers can dramatically increase mileage without impacting performance. Less weight, after all, leads directly to better fuel efficiency and/or acceleration.

A T.27, for instance, can go 100 miles on a charge, the same as a Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi i. The T.27, however, only sports a 12.5 kilowatt hour battery pack, which is about half the size of the battery in the other two cars. A smaller battery means quicker charging times and, potentially, a lower sticker price. Last year, Murray’s T.25, a T.27 with a gas engine, beat half of the electric cars in the race with an 80 miles per gallon rating.

Bright Automotive in the U.S. is mining similar concepts with a lightweight delivery truck.

Composite cars can also be cheaper to produce. Instead of steel stamping mills and painting stalls needed for applying rust-proofing, manufacturers only need to invest in software and injection molding machinery. (See our full profile of Murray, his company, and the cars here.)

Murray’s company does not plan on producing cars. Instead, it will license its intellectual property. A deal with an established manufacturer may come next year.

The RAC is the oldest automotive club in the world and held one of the world’s first car rallies in 1896. The contest drew 33 entries and was instrumental in raising the speed limit from 4 miles per hour to 14 mph in Great Britain. The race also convinced lawmakers to get rid of a law that required drivers to hire signal men with red flags to warn of their impending approach.

It’s been downhill for British driving every since.

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I'm interested in which car did best on fossil fuels. Plug in stations simply don't exist. An 80mpg diesel or especially gasoline vehicle is far more intriguing than a 300mpg plug in.

tkromer wrote:

I'm interested in which car did best on fossil fuels. Plug in stations simply don't exist. An 80mpg diesel or especially gasoline vehicle is far more intriguing than a 300mpg plug in.

As they say on the other side of the pond on Top Gear "We are petrol heads." And if that picture is of the winning car, a lot of good that does anyone, looks like it seats one.

honestly im more concerned about safety.

I'm more concerned about speed. Then handling. Then Safety. I guess fuel economy comes in 4th though because I'm not concerned with features.

It looks even smaller than the Smart cars but I still feel safer in my Honda than I would in this.

safety would be my concern, hell if i wanted to be in a deathbox econo car i'd just ride a motorcycle, cheaper and gets just as good MPG.