Tag Archives: Lotus

News

Lotus will focus on Super Hybrids

Since the beginning of the year, most manufacturers have realized that they were too quick to abandon combustion engines and focus on full electrification, and one of them is Lotus with its Vision 80 plan. According to this plan, Lotus’s intention was to become a fully electric brand by 2028, but the latest information suggests that the company has given up on that.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said: “I believe that fuel-powered vehicles still have a long life cycle. The penetration of fully electric vehicles into the luxury car segment is slow because the engines of luxury cars are already powerful, and the driving experience is very similar. V8 and V12 engines have good performance.”

Qingfeng also added that Lotus drivers drive an average of 30,000 kilometers a year, so range is really important to customers.

The company plans to focus on super hybrids, a combination of high performance and long range. That means a 900V electrical architecture, a turbocharged engine, and a battery that would allow for a range of more than 1,000 km.

Source: Wall Street Journal

EV

Lotus Theory 1 Concept

Lotus has revealed its new Theory 1 electric concept, which heralds the arrival of a new generation of its sports cars. A production version is not planned for release before 2027.

The Lotus Theory 1 is an electric supercar with a three-seat configuration like that of the McLaren F1. It is equipped with a carbon body, butterfly doors and many other carbon components, and the design resembles the S1 Esprit from 1977. It looks slimmer, narrower and more beautiful than the Evija model.

The car also brings a lot of innovations and one of them is Lotuswear, a system of adaptive robotics covered with textiles, which Lotus developed with Motorskins and which can provide haptic feedback to the driver through the seat and steering wheel. The small pods provide pulses to suggest to the driver when to turn, and can also function as buttons. However, there are some things Lotus fans may not like, such as the Steer-by-wire system that allows drivers to adjust the ratio of steering and feel.

Theory 1 is powered by two electric motors with a total power of 1,000 hp (735 kW). It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph), and has all-wheel drive. It is equipped with a 70 kWh battery that enables a range of 402 kilometers. There are also Pirelli P Zero Elect tires, developed to reduce rolling resistance and increase range by 10 percent.

Source: Lotus

Gallery:

Lotus Theory 1 Concept
News

Lotus Evija X destroyed at Goodwood Festival of Speed

Another annual motorsports festival, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, has come to an end, where we saw the premieres of several new cars, as well as the Lotus Evija X’s attempt to set the fastest track time.

The Lotus Evija X is a limited edition super powerful electric car that set the third fastest lap time at the end of April on the most famous track in the world (Nurburgring Nordschleife). The 20,830 km (12,943 mi) long course Lotus Evija X finished in 6:24,047, which is slower than the Volkswagen ID.R (6:05.336) and the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo (5:19.546).

At this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, the British car manufacturer tried to set the fastest track time, but an accident occurred and the cause is currently unknown. Automotive journalist Harry Metcalfe believes that it could be a problem with computer software, which is very possible because even a small interruption of one of the four electric motors is enough to push the hypercar off the track. However, there is also a chance that the driver caused the accident by pressing the gas pedal more than he should have.

Lotus Evija X is powered by 4 electric motors, 1 placed at each wheel, with a total power of 2,011 hp (1,500 kW) and 1,257 lb-ft (1,704 Nm) of torque. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in under 3 seconds, from 0 to 300 km/h (190 mph) in 9.1 seconds, and achieve a limited top speed of 349 km/h (217 mph).

Source: Lotus