An electric car known as the T.27 created by the McLaren F1 supercar road car designer Gordon Murray has been unveiled. Three prototypes of the T.27 model will be developed over the next 16 months.

The manufacturing process as well as the performance of the car will be aimed at being environment friendly. Called iStream (don’t know why everyone likes to put an i in front of everything these days!), its manufacturing process has received £9m of investment, half of which came from the government’s Technology Strategy Board.

iStream plants can be just one fifth of the size of a conventional car factory, as the cars are not made from stamped steel. All the parts are designed by computer and welded together rather than being stamped out of metal sheets.

The T.27 car is designed for city or town use. Its predecessor, the T.25, weighs 600kg – half the weight of an average small family car. Gordon Murray believes the key to efficient performance is to be lightweight. Although this awful looking car may not look like it, the frame of the T.27 has been designed to absorb energy! The T.27 can reach 60 miles per hour and is designed to travel up to 100 miles in between recharges.

[via Crave]