f1 designer unveils electric car

[Mike Hughes]

Has Clive Sinclair come out of hiding?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8344532.stm

The manufacturing process, called iStream, has received £9m of investment, half of which came from the government's Technology Strategy Board.

iStream plants can be just one fifth of the size of a conventional car factory, as the cars are not made from stamped steel.

All the parts are designed by computer and welded together rather than being stamped out of metal sheets, explained David Bott, Director of Innovation Platforms at the Technology Strategy Board.

"It's a very radical approach to manufacturing," he told the BBC. "Usually you talk about high value, or low carbon, or resource efficient manufacturing - this ticks all those boxes."

Oh dear. Welded panels from flat steel sheet. And they've invested millions in this? How on earth can he talk about "high value" with a straight face when he's just wasted millions on a project doomed to failure. Forget that customers like their cars to look good, no, lets get really efficient at making ugly cars.

We should send them all back to 1960's russia where they'd fit in really well.

Technology Strategy Board? Come off it. Is this really the best they can come up with. Here's the UK car industry in decline and is this ever going to be part of the solution. I can't even see Peter Mandelson giving them a slap on the back and saying "well done lads, that's just what we needed."

Mike

[Chunkford]

Looks like a golf buggy to me, which are electric any how!
Are you going to tell him, or am I?

[Mike Hughes]

Looks like a golf buggy to me, which are electric any how!

Very true. Probably lighter too as they use plastic bodies rather than origami steel.

Mike

[Sean Williams]

He's late by about 37 years!
http://www.citroenet.org.uk/foreign/greece/pony-1.html

I had one of these - fantastic car, provided you don't want any performance or style

[pinbrook]

I like my cars to have windows and a roof

[Mike Hughes]

Thinking about it, flat sheet steel isn't very rigid for it's weight anyway. It wobbles too much. Even putting a slight ridge in it would make it much stiffer and allow a thinner, lighter steel to be used (and as the Citroen has).

Makes less and less sense the more you look at it.

Mike

[Mark H]

"All the parts are designed by computer"

Sinclair Spectrum

[rmorrow]

Don't be too quick to judge a completely new car by its first prototype. These are clever guys involved in this project. The image at this links suggests the final body will be very different.... http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/uk-t...he-t-27/244694

[Mike Hughes]

Possibly. But then they're changing the game they're playing. On the one hand they're pushing this 'smaller and cheaper' production line because they're not stamping the steel and talking about 'sustainability' of scrappage. On the other hand they secretly show off some nicely sculpted bodies and hidden designs. That's not going to happen without either stamping out the steel or using a plastic body.

Maybe they've been 'corrupted' by the people they've used for funding. Had to talk up the revolution manufacturing and sustainability side even though they know it doesn't produce a commercailly viable proposition.

Anyway, I thought the best quote was from the guy himself:

'It has to look different because of the geometry of the car, but if we could attach a cool brand to it, we would have got it made.'

I read that as saying "It is ugly, no one's going to make it."

Mike

[acompton]

I read that as saying "It is ugly, no one's going to make it."

That's exactly how I read it. I found the whole article rather depressing. I'm all for eco-cars, but this thing is never going to get off the ground.

[Mark H]

It sounds as if it will end up looking like the Smart car, which IMO is a good thing, and all the other specs sound similar. I can't see how it would be better than the Smart (I know, you either love them or hate them....) except for one extra seat, which has to make it bigger and/or more cramped no matter how you configure the seats. An electric Smart is on the way using the same Zytek technology, so I don't really understand what is so groundbreaking and new about this initiative.

[chris ashdown]

But is it not a prototype probably just to test the systems not the overall design. just like the press to say give us any picture as long as we have something to show, and then opps sorry we did not include the caption

[Mike Hughes]

Possibly Chris, but then what are they publicising? That they've hooked up some batteries to another companies drivetrain? I've seen the same thing done on scrapheap challenge with a couple of car batteries and an alternator.

Looking into it a bit more it seems like they're really trying to make a go of small petrol engined car that uses a tubular steel chassis with a recycled plastic body.

http://www.gordonmurraydesign.com/t25.php

But what's supposed to be new I don't know. This is how cars were built before it was realised that using the body for strength and stiffness (the monocoque design) made them stronger, lighter and cheaper.

Mind you I found another classic quote for the T.25. Second on it's list of 'facts' is this:

•Its compact size will allow ‘2’ T.25’s to travel in one UK motorway lane. Trebling the capacity and reducing congestion.

Mike

[DennisT8]

Thank you, but I prefer the Tesla.

p.s.: I actually like the Pony.

[Mark H]

The 0-60 on some of these electric cars is interesting. 3.7 seconds for the Tesla, even the proposed electric Smart car is supposed to do it in 6.5 seconds, which is "OK" for a Smart.