Lotus is entering the final stages of development for the Evija, the company’s upcoming electric flagship hypercar, and Matt Windle, the company’s new Managing Director, gave his impressions after driving a prototype.
“We have different prototypes focusing on different areas of development. One for build and tech, another for battery management, the other for motors, and so on. EP1, which I have driven most recently, is the performance prototype and it does not disappoint,” said Windle.
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“We are still some months from entering series production, but already EP1 has that unmistakable Lotus ‘feel’. Unquestionably a unique and extreme hypercar, but still, somehow, a Lotus. I’m so excited and extremely proud of what the team has achieved.”
The all-electric Lotus Evija will employ four electric motors – one for each wheel- for a combined output of 1,973 HP (2,000 PS) and 1,254 lb-ft (1,700 Nm) of torque. With so much firepower, the Evija will accelerate like a bat out of hell: 0-186 mph (300 km/h) will be completed in under 9 seconds while top speed is over 200 mph (320 km/h).
“We’re 80% there – in terms of power, in terms of batteries, motors, body,” added Gavan Kershaw, the company’s chief test driver. “Now, the remaining 20% is about adding the magic, for everything to work in harmony in that unique Lotus way, to deliver the driving experience that we want and that we can be super-proud of. And by proud, I of course mean, mind-blowing. It is a hypercar.”
The electric Lotus hypercar will offer five different driving modes: Range, City, Tour, Sport, and Track. Power is limited to 1,000 HP in Range and City modes, with the latter also adjusting the level of regenerative braking for a more comfortable and smoother driving experience. Tour mode increases power output to 1,400 HP and enables torque vectoring, while Sport further boosts the horsepower to 1,700 HP. If you want the full near-2,000 HP punch, you have to engage Track.
“Already it is the fastest road car around the Hethel track, and some legendary cars and drivers have been setting records around here for many years,” added Louis Kerr, Chief Platform Engineer. “We’re already going quicker than expected, and in addition, we’re looking to exceed the targets we’ve set ourselves on the project in terms of power and torque capacities to absolutely maximize the performance envelope of the car.”
“It has Formula One accelerations but in a closed cockpit, so it’s like a little Group C racer but with the torque and instant delivery of all the power, all the torque, and the very latest toolbox of electronic aids,” adds Kershaw. “You genuinely start to believe you can defy physics – it fires you around corners like a catapult.”
