Gordon Murray Design reveals autonomous quadricycle
Gordon Murray Design wants to make autonomous driving an easy pill to swallow with its capsule-shaped Motiv.
by William Stopford- shares
Gordon Murray is best known for his work engineering Formula 1 race cars and the legendary McLaren F1. Lately, however, he’s been working on something very different – an autonomous vehicle.
Gordon Murray Design has collaborated with Delta Motorsport and consultancy itMoves to create an autonomous vehicle platform, dubbed Motiv, which has made its debut at the MOVE 2020 mobility show in London this week.
Looking quite a bit different from a Johnny Cab, Total Recall’s vision of autonomous mobility, the Motiv is a pod-styled electric quadricycle with a single gullwing door, which opens to a cabin with a single seat and a 24.0-inch display.
In the future, the Motiv platform can be adapted to accommodate multiple occupants and potentially even be used for commercial deliveries.
Though it’s a quadricycle and not a car, it’s been designed to meet European passenger car crash safety standards.
It’s designed for urban areas, and therefore has a lower electric range than many EVs – just 100km under the WLTP cycle.
It’s also much smaller than even small city cars, the quadricycle measuring just 2537mm long and 1310mm wide.
The Motiv is lighter, too, employing Gordon Murray Design's iStream Superlight technology.
The lightweight structure uses high-strength extruded aluminium for the chassis, composite panels and door, and an aluminium suspension. Total weight is 450kg, battery not included.
Delta Motorsports provided the know-how for the Motiv’s powertrain.
The platform’s 17.3kWh battery pack, which can be charged in 40 minutes, is mated to a 20kW electric motor.
The Motiv can reach 62km/h in 7.5 seconds and has a top speed of 65km/h.
The new autonomous vehicle has the motive and the means, and now it just needs the opportunity to succeed.
The three companies are now looking for technology and development partners so the Motiv can begin real-world trials.
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Gordon Murray Design reveals autonomous quadricycle