Anyone who's ever floored the accelerator in an EV knows the meaning of torque. It's all right here, right now, allowing even an utterly pedestrian ride like the Nissan Leaf to provide an entertaining kick from a stop.
Having all your torque available at 1 rpm largely negates the need for multiple gear ratios, which is how even an electric sports car like the Tesla Roadster makes do with a single reduction gear. But this isn't keeping our retro-loving mates at Morgan Motor Co. from bolting a five-speed box to the electric motor in the Morgan Plus E.
"We wanted to see how much fun you can have in an electric sportscar, so we have built one to help us find out," Morgan operations director Steve Morris said in a statement. "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."
The Morgan Plus E, shown at the Geneva Motor Show, is an electrified Morgan Plus 8 with a 70-kilowatt (94 horsepower) Zytek motor in place of the BMW V8. The little motor that could puts down 221 pound-feet, an impressive figure for something so small. Morgan didn't offer any specs on the lithium-ion battery pack, but said the rear-wheel-drive car has a range of 120 miles.
All of this is standard fare until you get to the five-speed gearbox, which, so far as we know, is a first for an electric vehicle. There's even a clutch pedal, though Morgan says you don't really need it. The motor has more than enough torque to let you leave the clutch engaged when stopped, then carry on without thinking about it.
"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," Neil Heslington, managing director of Zytek Automotive, told the blokes at Top Gear. "It also allows us to provide lower gearing for rapid acceleration and will make the car more engaging for keen drivers."
Everything is bolted to an aluminum chassis, which helps keep the car to 2,755 pounds. Morgan says the Plus E will peel off a 62 mph sprint in a little more than 6 seconds, which is decent enough. Top speed is 115 mph, which in a car so low and narrow probably feels faster than that.
Morgan Motor Co. says it will judge the reaction to the car and determine whether there is sufficient demand to build the Plus E.
