THE BACKFIRE LOW-VOLUME FUTURE
A DRIVER’S CAR FOR 2030
How will Britain’s low-volume car makers survive the upcoming ban on new ICE cars? Steve Cropley sits down with Equipmake and W EVC to plan an enthusiast’s electric roadster
ILLUSTR ATIONS BEN SUMMERELL-YOUDE
The nose cone is about half the height of a Caterham’s, because a large aperture isn’t needed; cooling air for the powertrain and battery are collected beneath the car.
Low screen is enabled by McLaren Elva-style wind deflector. The Backfire can be configured with a variety of screens, including a version that supports a basic stretch-over hood.
Onepiece painted carbonfibre skin allows considerable design flexibility. Cycle wings emphasise minimal design but will benefit from aero development.
Battery is carried on WEVCdesigned skateboard chassis beneath body, although high central console also provides space if needed. Lightness and efficient aero give good range.
Equipmake single-speed electric motor is mounted between driven rear wheels. The compact motor and its inverter are about the same size as an old-style differential.
M eet the Backfire, a post-2030 niche driver’s car designed to provide a solution for Britain’s low-volume sports car manufacturers – and their customers – when sales of new piston-engined cars are banned come 2030. Until now, our government’s decision to halt petrol and diesel sales in eight years’ time has looked like unbridled bad news for this resilient band of creators, pushing them towards impossible choices.
Because most don’t have access to the massive investment funds that the big manufacturers are deploying to create new platforms and adopt new propulsion technologies, many low-volume car makers must contemplate either going out of business or producing compromised versions of existing models.
However, a pioneering agreement between Norfolk-based electric propulsion specialist Equipmake and Cornish engineering company WEVC suggests a way forward. Equipmake designs and makes light and compact electric motors and associated paraphernalia, and it has already demonstrated its diversity by providing EV propulsion for both the forthcoming Ariel Hipercar and a Spanish-built double-decker bus by Beulas, soon to start trials in London. WEVC recently launched a f lexible platform designed especially for low-volume applications, called Paces, which will soon be the basis for an important commercial vehicle deal and is already being used for WEVC’s own light, low-volume electric coupé, which adopts styling from the Porsche 356 and will go on sale during 2022.