Gordon Murray Design's iStream Concept Pushes His Weightless Philosophy To EVs

Gordon Murray Design or GMD, the supercar design company founded by fabled automotive virtuoso Gordon Murray has unveiled more details of a concept it calls iStream which is perfect for lightweight EVs of the future. Murray through his career has been obsessed with ultra-lightweight cars which he championed even when he was the chief designer at Brabham and McLaren in Formula One and then he applied his same ethos while designing the iconic McLaren F1 supercar. Last year, his other company GMA (Gordon Murray Automotive) unveiled the T.50 supercar which he believes is the true successor to the McLaren F1 and is the last great hypercar powered by a naturally aspirated V12 internal combustion engine. 

GMD calls the iStream "perfectly suited to future electric vehicles" purporting weight-saving technology that can be applied to an assortment of vehicles - be it a family car or other forms of mobility including an electric aircraft. GMD claims that on a sedan they can save as much as up to 20 percent. 

The first concept of the iStream concept is being applied to an all-electric Motiv Quadricycle which was showcased by GMD last year. This autonomous-ready vehicle is now on display this week at the LCV Cenex show at Milbrook in the UK. 

The T.50 has been described as the last great gasoline supercar by Gordon Murray which weighs less than 1000 kgs. 

GMD also claims that this concept has "huge benefits to the performance, cost, and efficiency of future electrified vehicles." IStream was born out of the issues related to weight on EVs as they are stacked with batteries that are heavy. It also helps reduce components and body panel requirements can be as low as 50 percent. They also claim that this also reduces the CO2 footprint on the manufacturing side of things. 

GMD has been showcasing the iStream concept

"iStream's expanded portfolio means that it is now the answer to many questions for many mobility companies. Not least how do you keep the weight of an electric vehicle to a minimum? Our innovative manufacturing processes deliver many benefits for automotive manufacturers wanting to create, develop and make low- to mid-volume cars and commercial vehicles that can't be profitably manufactured with their existing methodologies and footprint. It's a unique and cost-effective way for global manufacturers to improve performance and efficiency in a sustainable way," said Jean-Philippe Launberg, Strategy and Business Director, Gordon Murray Design. 

They also have the iStream eQuadricycle rolling platform - which is 2.5 metres in length, and weighs less than 400 kilograms and has a range of 225 kilometres, and also supports fast charging from 10 percent to 80 per cent. GMD claims that the production version of this vehicle would cost lesser if produced with its techniques than the conventional methods,