HYPER DRIVE_
The Evija – Lotus’s first
all-electric hypercarMThe central console cascades
down the middle of the cabin, like
a honeycomb of touch-sensitive
buttons; the dash is blissfully cleanfour electric motors – two per axle –
and four lightweight magnesium
wheels. The motors are powered by
a 70kWh, 680kg battery pack which
doesn’t reside in the floor like a Tesla,
but behind the two seats. While this
arrangement may compromise the
centre of gravity, it enabled Lotus to
lower the floor, seating position and roof,
and shrink the ride height to 105mm.
With the Evija, Lotus seeks to give
the body a degree of porosity, where
large channels are removed to enhance
airflow, thus boosting downforce and
lowering drag. Nowhere is this more
prominent than at the rear, where red
LED brake lights frame the exits of two
huge Venturi tunnels, reminiscent of
a fighter jet’s afterburners, and each
illuminated from within by further LEDs.
Other concept car design flour-
ishes we fervently hope make it
to production include deployable
cameras for wing mirrors, and how
the T of the rear “Lotus” nameplate
doubles as a reversing light. For added
drama (and less handle-induced drag)
the powered dihedral doors are opened
with a press of the keyfob. Returning to
the car with your hands full of shopping
will never be the same again – we just
don’t know where you’re supposed to
put it, as there’s no boot.
Lotus’s focus on negative space
is continued on the inside. There’s
a yawning void of what you could
call “added lightness” between the
dashboard and bulkhead, while the
central console cascades down the
middle of the cabin, like a honeycomb
of touch-sensitive buttons. The dash,
meanwhile, remains blissfully clean.
That isn’t to say this is a cabin free
of digital screens – the ones that are
there, are strictly functional. Three
replace conventional rearview mirrors
(one in each door and a third centred
above the windscreen), while a fourth
sits behind the F1-style steering wheel.And what a wheel it is, trimmed
with carbon fibre and Alcantara, then
festooned with buttons and dials for
indicators, phone, media, lights and
driving modes. A red selector like the
Manettino switch of a Ferrari lets the
driver pick from Eco, City, Tour, Sport
and Track modes, suggesting the Evija
may be as at home in town and on the
motorway as it is on race tracks.
The latter is an important point for
Lotus, which wants to prove it has
developed an electric drivetrain that can
survive sustained high-performance
driving without needing time to cool
down. The company says there will be no
performance drop-off for at least seven
minutes in Track mode. This may not
sound like much, but some of today’s
quickest EVs struggle to perform at
their best repeatedly.
As well as summoning up all 2,000hp,
Track mode engages the rear spoiler
and F1-style DRS system for cutting
drag on the straights and increasing top
speed, brings a lap timer to the centre
of the instrument display, and supple-
ments it with a G-meter.
It would be easy to dismiss the Evija
as a stunt. But with its pockets freshly
lined by Geely, this is a Lotus to be
noticed. It could then, all being well,
use the Evija as a launchpad for devel-
oping a whole new family of electric and
hybrid sports cars – ones which will be
more affordable and, of course, lighter.
£2,000,000 lotuscars.comany manufacturers express a desire
to produce the world’s most powerful
electric production car. With the
launch of the Evija, Lotus has joined
the fray: it is the first electric Lotus, and
the company’s first hypercar. Set to cost
from a cool £2m, just 130 will be made
after production begins in 2020.
The Evija (E-vi-ya) has a 1,680kg
target weight, which sounds dumpy
next to a flyweight Elise, but should
undercut much of the competition.
The company’s “simplify, then add
lightness” philosophy is alive and well,
only now, with major investment from
Chinese firm Geely – also owners of
Volvo and Polestar – Lotus has the
resources to deliver this in a big way.
How big? Well, try a power output
of 2,000PS, 1,700Nm of torque, and a
staggering zero-to-300kph time of
under nine seconds. That’s five seconds
quicker than a Bugatti Chiron.
The Evija also ticks the supercar
stat boxes of 0-100kph in under three
seconds, a top speed of over 320kph
and a target driving range of 400km.
Developed in partnership with
Formula E battery maker Williams
Advanced Engineering, the Evija has069WORDS: ALISTAIR CHARLTON| | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | |
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