-The Lotus Evija is reported to be the first British electric hypercar.
-0-100 in less than three seconds, a top speed of 320kmph and an electric range of 400km.
-Limited production run of 130 units.
Lotus – a brand known for making lightweight performance coupe – has finally taken the wraps off an all-new all-electric hypercar. Touted as the world’s most powerful series-production road car, it is called the Evija and it simply looks stunning.
The name Evija – pronounced ‘E-vi-ya’ – means ‘the first in existence’ or ‘the living one’ and conforms to Lotus’ obsession of naming their cars starting with letter E. Its ‘target’ power of almost 2000 horsepower comes from four electric motors. Each wheel gets a dedicated motor which is capable of producing around 500 horsepower. This means that one wheel of the Evija has more power than any other Lotus car built till date.
The mid-mounted battery pack – echoing the celebrated Lotus mid-engined sports car layout – is supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering. This Formula E inspired battery pack claims the company, is the lightest, most energy-dense, electric power package ever fitted to a road car. In terms of performance, the Evija will hit 100kmph from standstill in less than three seconds and will go all the way to a top speed of 320kmph. In keeping with Lotus' tradition of manufacturing lightweight cars, the Evija tips the scale at just 1680kg. That’s astonishingly light considering it has a high-density battery pack with a claimed range of 400 kilometres.
The lightweight is courtesy of a one-piece carbon fibre monocoque chassis. Meanwhile, the Evija kick-starts a contemporary new design language for Lotus, which will also grace the carmaker’s future cars including Elise, Exige, Evora and upcoming new Lotus performance models. The highlight of the Evija’s design is the Ford GT-style floating ‘venturi’ tunnel which ends with the beautiful looking red LED taillights which Lotus likes to call ‘ribbon-style’ signature.
However, the front looks like any other futuristic hypercar with gaping air-vents and sleek LED headlamps. Other exterior elements include a plethora of aero bits and the dihedral doors. The massive 20- and 21-inch wheels are shod with Pirelli Trofeo R tyres. And the forged aluminium AP Racing braking system also gets carbon-ceramic discs both fore and aft.
The cabin has two fully-adjustable Alcantara wrapped seats, all-digital instrument cluster and a multi-function race-style steering wheel. But what grabs the attention is the floating centre console with buttons and switches for all the car controls. What’s more, the cabin of the Evija also comes with all the modern-age connectivity features.
Limited to just 13 units (as a tribute to the Lotus Type 130), the Evija is slated to go into production in 2020 and will rival the likes of Pininfarina Battista and Rimac Concept 1. It will be built at Lotus’ famous home in Hethel, UK.
