 |
| The MOTIV.e built using common sense principles. |
MOTIV.e, the concept city car designed by Durban-schooled Gordon
Murray and built by Yamaha, has been given a drivetrain that fits Murray’s
modular philosophy.
The MOTIV.e city car will be powered by an advanced electric drive
from Zytek, using a range of new design approaches to minimise the cost, weight
and size of the powertrain while maximising the performance and range.
By supplying a number of core high-voltage components as an
optimised system, Zytek is also minimising the time required for vehicle
development.
Murray achieved fame for designing and building the Mclaren FI road
car, but in terms of the driving experience for the money, he considers his
decade-old Smart Roadster to be his best car.
 |
| ex-Durbanite Gordon Murray |
He launched his revolutionary iStream manufacturing technology to
deliver a highly efficient, yet fun-to-drive electric vehicle at an affordable
price.
Explaining his revolutionary iStream process, Murray states on his
website that — despite a lot more automation and efficiencies being available —
the world fundamentally still stamps some panels from sheet of steel, weld them
together, paint them, “put the bits on and that’s your motorcar”.
His modular iStream is closer to the process by which most racing
cars are built, which is to start with a roll-cage, fit a drive train and then
bolt on the seats and panels. “So this is very disruptive technology. It’s
tearing up the rule book and starting again,” explained the ex-Durbanite.
