Shell Project M, the future of city transportation?

Transportation of the future will be less dependent on fossil fuel and we can expect more and more hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electrical cars. That can be problem for oil companies and we are curious what will happen with them in the following years. Shell has just unveiled the Project M, small economical city car. It is not decided if it will be ever produced but we can see that Shell is considering other markets. New Project M car builds on Gordon Murray Design T.25 city car from 2010.  It was redesigned, modified and Shell has used special fluids like a modified motor oil to further decrease emissions. The consumption decreased by 5.0% on the combined cycle.

 

 

The Shell Project M car is able to achieve 107 mpg (2.64 l/100km) consumption when it is driven at 45 mph (70 km/h). It has a small three-cylinder petrol engine with 660cc capacity and 4-valve variable timing technology. It is able to produce 43 BHP (33 kW) and 64Nm torque. The car itself weighs only 550 kg and with an aerodynamic drag coefficient of Cd=0.29 is able to reach the top speed of 97 mph (156 km/h), but it is restricted to 90 mph (145 km/h). Acceleration 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) takes 15.8 seconds.

 

 

The car itself is only 8.2 ft (2.5 metres) long. It is 4.4 ft (1.35 m) wide and 5.2 ft (1.6 m) high. It is able to turn in 6-metres circle which is less than the famous London taxi cars need. Fuel tank capacity is 22 litres. The car uses 145/70R13 tyres and is able to carry three passengers. One is in the centre, two additional passengers are behind him at the sides. Trunk capacity is from 160 to 720 litres according to the seat configuration.

 

 

According to Shell, the car would deliver a 34% reduction in primary energy use compared to the typical UK car. Some parts of the car were produces using the 3D printing technology. Many body parts are from carbon fibre. There are cameras instead of mirrors.

 

Source: shell.com