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When British-based car company Morgan pulled the covers off its latest project at the 2016 Geneva motor show, it caused quite a stir.
With a long history of creating petrol-powered sportscars with traditional styling, the announcement of the little all-electric three-wheeler was a significant step into the future for the family-owned company.
With roots dating all the way back to the early 1900s, Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan, the company's eponymous founder, developed a reputation for handcrafting cars out of wood - a tradition that still continues over a century later. In those early days, some of the first cars made in Malvern, Morgan's home in Worcestershire, UK, sported an unusual three-wheeled setup, which is reflected in the design of the EV3 - as a modern day interpretation of the company's early cars such as the Runabout.
Over 100 years later, Morgan's EV3 has finally been confirmed for production in 2018. Sporting a powertrain from Frazer-Nash - the company behind the Metrocab, London’s first all-electric taxi - the pocket-sized sportscar's 21 kWh lithium-ion battery will be capable of covering 193km on a single charge, delivering power to the rear wheel. While its range might not sound like a lot, there aren't many (sane) people who'll choose to travel over 100km with no protection from the elements, is there?
Taking inspiration from 1930s Aero-engine race cars, classic motorcycles and 1950s fantasy automatons, the EV3 design was the handiwork of Morgan's chief designer Jonathan Wells. "We've combined the best bits of our past such as hand building coachbuilt traditional sportscars but, in order to remain competitive nowadays, we have to embrace modern technology."
EV3 production will start in late 2018 at Morgan's Pickersleigh Road factory in the UK. With no official word on price - at least not yet, anyway - let's hope the EV3 will be as keenly priced as its petrol-powered sibling, which starts from £25,950. Click here for more details on the EV3.