New Morgan XP-1 prototype previews future EVs

The Morgan Motor Company has launched a second all-electric concept for its iconic three-wheeler with the unveiling of the all-new Morgan XP-1 prototype.

Superseding the Morgan EV3 revealed back in 2016, the new electric XP-1 is based on the British car-maker’s latest CX aluminium space-frame chassis that also underpins the combustion-powered Super 3.

But the EV trades the Ford-sourced 87kW 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine for a more powerful 100kW electric motor, which combines with a 33kWh battery.

Featuring a 400-volt electrical architecture, Morgan says the battery can be recharged at a rate of up to 50kW, but the company has not supplied charging times.

Instead of choosing to source the new powertrain from another car-maker, like it does with the Super 3 (Ford) and the Plus 4 (BMW), Morgan says the battery, motor and inverter have all been sourced from different suppliers and then developed in-house.

It’s this R&D that will prove crucial in the future, the car-maker says, with engineers learning how to calibrate a range of driving modes.

New tech was also employed when developing the XP-1’s body.

Using advanced computational fluid dynamics software for the first time, Morgan engineers and designers managed to slash the drag coefficient from 0.65Cd to 0.42Cd – a reduction of 33 per cent.

Better still, the software allowed most of the work to be done without making physical scale models for wind tunnel testing.

Prompting a huge rethink over the standard Super 3, the XP-1 gets two small side-mounted radiators, with the left-hand side used to cool the electric motor and inverter while the right chills the battery.

The XP-1 weighs in at just 700kg – 60kg less than the petrol-fed three-wheeler with a half tank of fuel, meaning the EV will be considerably quicker than the Super 3 that can manage a 0-100km/h dash in 7.0sec.

Full technical details have yet to be released, but the XP-1 is said to be capable of covering up to 240km on a full charge and still to manage 160km in cold weather.

In packaging the new powertrain, engineers have mounted the electric motor and the inverter in the place where the Mazda-sourced five-speed transmission used to live, while the battery is located under the bonnet where the three-cylinder engine was positioned.

New tech developed being explored by Morgan engineers includes new ways to enhance the natural noise of the electric motor, rather than piping in a fake soundtrack.

Inside, there’s a bespoke TFT instrument display that, among other things, represents the four different driving modes using chillies – much like the way some restaurants use them to explain how hot a dish is.

Morgan hasn’t detailed each mode but it’s thought the sportiest mode delivers the sharpest throttle responses with the least amount of brake regen.

So far Morgan says the XP-1 has taken more than 12 months to design and build, with the prototype to be subjected to a further 12-18 months of extensive testing before the work is complete.

Despite all that, a production version of the Morgan XP-1 is unlikely to ever follow, with senior execs admitting the electric Super 3 is absent from its business plans over the next four years.

Instead, the XP-1 and the learning accrued while creating it will be transferred to Morgan EVs of the future.

“We are immensely proud to be sharing XP-1 with the world and showcasing some of the first-class engineering that takes place behind the scenes at Morgan,” said chief technical officer Matt Hole.

“We are in no doubt that we can ensure future electric Morgan sports cars retain the core appeal of our current range, meaning they are fun to drive, lightweight, handcrafted and bespoke.”

Morgan isn’t the only small Brit firm developing EVs; Surrey-based Caterham recently unwrapped its Project V sports car it plans to introduce by 2026.

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