GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Morgan EV3 revealed
Morgan electrifies its time-honoured 3-WheelerMorgan has always ploughed its own furrow. One of the cars it is bringing to the Geneva motor show is a limited edition of the venerable 4/4 sports car, produced to celebrate the fact that it has been in production for a record-breaking 80 years, with the current car close enough to the 1936 original that it would be possible to send it back there through a time machine without causing any excitement.
But the 4/4 won’t be attracting the most attention on the company’s Geneva stand. That will be the new EV3, which — as its name suggests — is an electric version of the company’s 3-Wheeler, the one that’s somewhere between a car and a motorcycle.
Morgan released images of a concept version last year, but this is pretty much the finished deal it showed a teaser shot of in February, set to go on sale in territories where Morgan sells the 3-Wheeler later this year.
Losing the conventional 3-Wheeler’s front-mounted V-twin engine should make it look ridiculous; yet it doesn’t. Most of the space where the engine normally sits has been filled by a battery pack, wrapped in what we’re told is “brass conductive cooling material” which gives it a real Steampunk vibe. It also gets a third headlight — with the other two moved downwards — giving it an appealing asymmetric look at the front; like it’s winking or wearing a monocle.
Morgan says the car uses carbon-fibre for its bonnet and side panels, along with the tonneau cover that the concept is wearing. Other panels are made from aluminium and, under them all, there’s still a wooden frame made from finest English ash. Some things never change.
Performance is comparable to that of the petrol-fired version with the EV3 getting a water-cooled 46kW motor driving the rear wheel. The battery pack has a capacity of 20kW/h and is claimed to be good for up to 240km of range. Morgan says that 0-100km/h takes under nine seconds and that the top speed is more than 145km/h. And as anyone who has driven one can tell you, at that speed a 3-Wheeler feels like it’s doing at least 300km/h.
The EV3 gets a revised interior as well, with aero-style toggle switches and – with no gearbox – a direction switch in the middle of the dashboard that gives the choice of forward and reverse. The speedometer is joined by a second gauge that shows how much power the motor is using or regenerating, as well as a display of the remaining range.
There’s no word on price yet, but Morgan says the EV3 will be on sale in the fourth quarter of this year. We look forward to telling you how it drives.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
