Tech Insider / MORGAN XP-1 THE DECISION TO GO THREE WHEELS WAS SIMPLY THE BEST WHY THREE WHEELS? XP-1 is the second three-wheeler testbed for Morgan, but why choose this one rather than the four-wheeled Plus Four or Plus Six? The decision was simple: it was the easiest one to simulate, says Daniel Poulter. “We chose the three-wheeler because it was slightly easier to simulate and because we didn’t have the complexity of the HVAC system,” he explains. “As the tool was maturing it made sense to start with the simplest platform and then simulate that, get the results and put it back through. Performance wise, one of the starting points was that we didn’t want to have less performance than the ICE variant; we wanted it to match in that respect and that was one of the targets.” a chassis,” says Fellten CEO Chris Hazell. “We’re not used to working that way; we normally have to reverse engineer, so it was nice to have proper CAD that was correct to the nut and bolt and the millimeter so we could actually build a model from it.” Once the CAD work was completed Morgan delivered a rolling chassis to Fellten, and the team got to work. The idea was that Fellten’s existing architecture could be transferred into the Super 3, but this was not without its challenges. The main issue was the tapered body of the Morgan, which made everything a very tight fit, to the point that some of the existing soundproofing was scraped off as the power unit was squeezed in. “We took the architecture from the other kits we’ve done, so it’s the same battery management system and CCS control concept,” says Hazell. “We brought across as much as we possibly could; even the cooling fit on the bottom of the cooling plates is the same as we use on a universal pack. We didn’t reinvent anything, we just reshaped components and made some bespoke parts.” Morgan helped to design the mounting structure as well as the CCS port bracketry. The rapid-charging port is a bidirectional Fellten component that is V2L capable; its cabling is neatly placed along the side of the battery pack with the inverter mounted on the top. Everything is contained within one unit: a stack of 14 6S 355 battery modules providing 3.35kWh each, as well as dual CCS contacts and an Orion battery management system. The original cooling points were reused with two radiators behind the front wheels. One is for battery and charger cooling, the other to cool the motor and inverter. The radiators themselves had to be made slightly smaller, which reduced drag and enhanced the driving range of the prototype, which impressively weighs almost the same as its ICE sibling. It’s all part of a menu that suits Morgan’s desire to have control of the components and also to use UK suppliers as much as possible, including a Quaife gearbox and the 120kW electric motor from iNetic. The benefit is we can use the VCU to do the mapping and get it driving how we want” 1 FLEXIBLE CHOICES Again, choosing to work with a motor supplier rather than partner with an OEM gave Poulter and the team flexibility. The decision was made to go with a motor that was more powerful than they needed, giving them the option to detune it to a level suitable for a production version. “That was one of the things we wanted going into the project,” says Poulter. “Going through an OEM, they would do a lot of the tuning work or use a partner, with Morgan advising how we want it to drive or what characteristics to have. The benefit is we can use the VCU to do the mapping and get it driving how we want so we can detune it or run it at max power.” One of the unique things about the XP-1 is of course that it only has one rear wheel, something that posed a challenge with 320Nm of torque – triple that of the gasoline-powered Super 3. Four driving modes, shown on the driver’s information screen as varying heats of chillies, enable different levels of power but also of brake regeneration and RPM gain-based traction control. “There’s only a certain amount of regeneration you can do before you lock the rear wheel,” says Poulter. “We’ve found a nice midway point where you do have some regen; 2 2. DANIEL POULTER Software and electric systems engineer at Morgan 8 www.automotivepowertraintechnologyinternational.com / March 2024