Oil giant Shell is to work with race and road car designer Professor Gordon Murray and engine specialist Osamu Goto to co-engineer an ultra-compact, efficient car for city use based around the internal combustion engine.
The Shell car is scheduled to be unveiled in November 2015 and people will be able to follow the development of the car through the website www.shell.com/Projectm.
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Shell said that its concept is intended to be a “simple, practical global city car”. It will – drawing on Gordon Murray’s expertise – embrace light-weight engineering, streamlining and driveline efficiency .
Once built, the car will be tested on-the-road.
The concept is intended to inspire thinking about maximising personal mobility while minimising energy use and helping people get around the world’s congested cities where, by 2050, up to three quarters of the world’s estimated nine billion people could be living, Shell says.
Initiated by Shell, the collaboration, which is called Project M, brings together Shell’s Lubricant’s Technology Team, The Gordon Murray Design Group and engine specialist Geo Technology.
Shell says that the “technically intimate co-engineering relationship” between the three expert teams means that the development of the lubricants, engine and vehicle will be completely integrated and “elivering results neither group could achieve by working apart”.
Shell provides the fluids for the car specifically ‘designing’ the motor oil that complements and enhances the overall efficiency of the vehicle. The Shell car aims to show what can be achieved when its products are integrated into the design, right from the start.
Selda Gunsel – Vice President Lubricants Technology, said: “Since working with the Gordon Murray Design team on the T.25 car in 2010, we have given further thought on how to deliver a complete rethink of the car, using as little energy as possible. We believe this Shell car will demonstrate how efficient a car can be when Shell works in harmony with vehicle and engine makers during design and build, supplying fuels and lubricants technical expertise. Shell is excited to be working with such top calibre partners and invite others to join us for the remaining part of this exciting journey.”
Project M is being launched at the Americas round of Shell Eco-marathon, a global series which challenges student teams to design, build and test ultra-energy-efficient vehicles. Shell Eco-marathon America is in Detroit on 9-12 April 2015.
