The New Lotus Evija

LOTUS EVIJA

When the legendary Colin Chapman built his first Lotus racing car back in 1948, his philosophy was to keep the weight down and optimise power, a maxim that lives on in the upcoming Evija all-electric hypercar. Imaginative though Chapman was, he couldn’t have believed in his wildest dreams that one day, a Lotus road car would rocket to 100 km/h in less than three seconds solely on its electric motors.

The Evija is being touted as Britain’s first hypercar and although several prestigious UK carmakers have talked about similar products, most have been mock-ups or conceptualisations. The Evija has actually been demonstrated to the public at Goodwood SpeedWeek during the summer and no less than ex F-1 champion Jenson Button trumpeted its performance potential. True to Lotus tradition, the Evija is very light. It weighs just 1,680 kg and the carmaker is claiming that it’s the world’s lightest production EV hypercar. The carbon fibre monocoque, produced in Italy in Ferrari’s home city, contributes greatly here, but there are many other key engineering factors at work. The battery pack is mounted centrally, following another Lotus tradition with regard to engine placement. The car uses four electric motors driving all four wheels to transfer the huge power output serenely to the road. Lotus is targeting a massive 2,000 horsepower for this powertrain, another world high.›

As would be expected, the cockpit of this new Lotus is a feast for the enthusiast’s eye and includes every imaginable comfort and convenience item possible in a high-end car. The steering wheel is probably the first thing people will notice on entering the car because it is flattened top and bottom like the ones you’d find in racing cars. The seats are anatomically sculpted to a level that is entirely necessary for a car with the handling capacity of the Evija. Electric motors reach their maximum torque just about instantly, so emerging from a tight corner and accelerating in this car should be quite an experience. One of the setbacks with any electric vehicle is that charging can be a lengthy business. Not so with the Evija because the design team wanted owners to be able to charge their car in little more time than it takes to pump fuel into a conventional tank. Thanks to new lithiumion battery technology, just 12 minutes are needed to achieve an 80 per cent charge and the batteries can be topped up altogether in 18-minutes. These figures can be achieved with charging equipment that’s now available. The range claimed by Lotus is 345 km. Just in case owners need a reminder of the car’s origins, a plaque bearing the words “Hand Built in Britain by Lotus” is sited beneath the charging port cover. ›

It’s particularly impressive that Lotus has publicly demonstrated this remarkable car and thousands have viewed its capabilities. Just about every supercar maker worthy of the name has shown conceptualisations of similar models, but many have barely made it to the drawing board, or CAD/CAM stage yet. Lotus has delivered on its promises and there’s no reason to doubt that the car will be reaching fortunate owners before too long. Analysts are predicting something of a post-pandemic boom in luxury car sales and it’s a safe bet that Lotus will quickly sell every one of the 130 Evijas planned for production, even at that whopping price tag. e Z ENGINE: Electric motors (4) with all-wheel drive. Z RANGE: 345-km. Z ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h in under 3-secs. Z TOP SPEED: 320 km/h plus. Z I LIKED: Stunning performance in a highly appealing package. World-beating spec sheet from an engineering standpoint. A 300 km/h car you could drive to an environmental conference! Z I DIDN’T LIKE: Seriously high cost. Z MARKET ALTERNATIVES: Porsche Taycan. Planned EV hypercars: Pininfarina Battista, Aston Martin Rapide E, Tesla Roadster plus EVs from Ferrari and Lamborghini. Z WHO DRIVES ONE? Dedicated Lotus fans with the money to fulfil their ultimate dreams. Exotic car fans who fancy a sportster with even more horses than a Bugatti Chiron. Z PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: 130 cars to be produced at approx. £1.7-million per unit, orders being accepted with £250,000 deposit.

g This article is sponsored by C. De Salamanca, official dealers for Bentley, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Jaguar & Land Rover. Tel: (+34) 952 785 250. www.cdesalamanca.com

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