All-electric 2,000PS Lotus Evija hypercar details revealed, takes on Pininfarina Battista and Rimac C_Two

Aditya Chatterjee Published: July 18, 2019, 07:07 PM IST

British sports car brand Lotus Cars, known for its creations Esprit, Elise and Evora is shifting gears. Under its new ownership of Geely that also owns Volvo, Polestar, Lynk and Co. and Geometry, Lotus Cars has moved from its lithe sports cars to a full-blown hypercar, as its next new-gen offering for the world is called the Evija (pronounced 'E-vi-ya'), which means the first in existence or the living one, mentions Lotus. This stands true as the Evija is the first British all-electric hypercar. It was built under the project name Type 130 and Lotus will be making 130 units of the Evija in the UK when it goes into production next year. A payment of £250k (Rs 2.13crore) will secure a production slot, wherein each specimen of the Evija will be priced from £1.7m onward (approx. Rs 11.70 crore) excluding local duties and taxes.

Elec-trick

The Lotus Evija's elec-trickery happens at each of the wheels which combined produce a total of 2,000PS with the help of four e-motors, effectively translating into 500PS being produced on each wheel. This is more than the total power output of any of the Lotus cars in production. Further, the system generates a torque of 1,700Nm, which the company claims is sufficient to hold four Evora Sport 410 cars on the other end of a tug of war rope.

The hypercar has a claimed 0 to 100kmph acceleration timing of less than 3 seconds. The exact figure will be released close to the launch of the Evija. However, the figure that is being speculated is close to 2.5s! The hypercar is offered with drive modes, Range, City, Tour, Sport and Track that alters the performance in terms of power delivery and handling. Lotus mentions the overall driving range of the Evija will be 400km under the WLTP test cycle, which is quite impressive when you consider the performance figures mentioned above.

The company claims, using the existing 350kW charging unit, the 70kWh lithium-ion battery pack can be charged to up to 80 per cent in 12 minutes and 100 per cent in 18 minutes. The Evija's all-electric powertrain has been developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, a known entity in Formula One, as well as Formula E. The mid-mounted battery pack, is capable of being charged by an 800kW unit. Though they are currently unavailable anywhere in the world, once they are, the Lotus Evija can be fully charged in nine minutes flat.

Under the skin

The Evija is the first Lotus road car to feature a one-piece carbon fibre monocoque chassis, wherein the tub weighs a mere 129kg. Lotus mentions that the Evija is the lightest production EV hypercar with a weight of 1,680kg, which makes it lighter than the Pininfarina Battista. Additionally, Lotus also believes that the Evija will be the most powerful series-production car. While these claims can be verified once the final production vehicle launches next year, there is no denying that the Evija looks distinct from Lotus' previous offerings. It features laser lights for illumination and cameras instead of rearview mirrors. The two dihedral doors don't feature handles but use key fob for opening.

The flowing lines are not just about stunning design but also play a role in directing the airflow around the car. The bumper has giant scoops that guide the air towards the rear, while on to the rear, there are rear-quarter Venturi tunnels, which also lend a futuristic design to the hypercar. And then there is the active aero, thanks to a giant rear wing which rises and pushes the car downward, essentially an F1-style Drag Reduction System (DRS) while the rear diffuser opens up to increase the size of the venturi tunnel. Both these are activated automatically in Track mode but can be operated individually as well. The Evija is shod with Pirelli Trofeo R tyres (20 F and 21 R) developed specifically for the hypercar. Bringing this gentle giant to a standstill are forged aluminium AP Racing braking system with carbon ceramic discs.

Connec-tech

The cabin design of the Lotus Evija takes inspiration from the race cars of the 50s and 60s with the whole structure of the car being exposed and is also very functional. The cabin features tons of carbon fibre which in addition to the sporty appearance also contribute to the lightweight construction. This is further complemented by racing-style steering wheel as well as properly contoured two seats, both of which are finished in Alcantara fabric. The Evija features cloud connectivity which lets the hypercar gets over-the-air software updates. It also comes with a Lotus app which features battery charge status and driving range, along with remote access of air-conditioner. The infotainment unit also comes with a chronograph to allow the driver to record their lap times and also access it from the cloud using the smartphone app.