Morgan signals its EV future with experimental XP-1 plug-in three-wheeler

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British sports car maker, Morgan Motor Company, which has been producing exquisite hand-made machines for over 100 years, has today announced that it has its eye firmly fixed on an electric future with the introduction of its XP-1 developmental vehicle.

Not destined for production in its current guise, the nippy three-wheeler, which itself is based on the same aluminum platform as the marque’s current, Ford 1.5-liter, petrol-powered Super 3, is purely a technology demonstrator, designed to allow engineers at the historic Malvern factory to work out the best combination of components, software mapping and configuration to make a pure EV that stays true to Morgan’s lightweight ethos.

Those with a good memory for all things automotive will know that this isn’t Morgan’s first foray into electrification. The stylish, slightly goggle-eyed, steampunk-inspired EV3 appeared on the British sports car-maker’s stand at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and immediately had fans of the brand and mere onlookers divided.

(Image credit: Morgan Motor Company)

On the one hand, it looked like a hell of a lot of fun. But on the other, it was a far cry from the cottage industry, hand-built ethos that runs through every Morgan motor car produced since 1909. After all, today’s Plus Four and Plus Six still look largely the same as Henry Frederick Stanley Morgan’s original design and feature a frame that’s fashioned from hand-planed ash wood. The factory is a beautiful time capsule of craftsmanship.

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