MOTORING
Surrey’s Premier Lifestyle Magazine
Top Gun
Lotus chose this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed to reveal its new all-electric hypercar, the Evija, and it was a sight for sore eyes, as Euan Johns found out.
The Lotus Evija is a stunning looking machine that Tom Cruise’s Maverick could easily have been seen in had it been around in the eighties, but this earth-bound fighter jet is smack bang up to date. What’s more, it’s not only electrifying in looks and performance, but is also electric powered. In fact, the Evija is the first all-electric hypercar from a British carmaker.
This is a wild car with outlandish styling. Everything about it prepares for its mammoth £1.7m (add to that duties and taxes) price tag. Fear not for those short of the readies, a £250,000 deposit will secure one of the planned 130 production slots. Hethel Village and its WW2 airfield, close to the historic city of Norwich, has been the home of Lotus since 1966 and production will begin here next year.
This is a wild car with outlandish styling. Everything about it prepares for its mammoth £1.7m (add to that duties and taxes) price tag. Fear not for those short of the readies, a £250,000 deposit will secure one of the planned 130 production slots. Hethel Village and its WW2 airfield, close to the historic city of Norwich, has been the home of Lotus since 1966 and production will begin here next year.
The car’s name is derived from Eve (of Adam and Eve fame) and is a sop to the fact that Lotus has always regarded itself as an innovative company willing to take the first step. This car is a real step into the future with the power and range to travel 250 miles. What’s more with the new 350KW charging points, drivers will be ready to take off again after a mere 18 minutes charging time.
It’s a lightweight, but purely in weight terms, coming in at just under 1,700 kg: impressive considering its battery and four motors. The battery pack is mid-mounted behind the two seats and supplies energy directly to four e-motors. The highly efficient system is the lightest electric power package ever fitted to a road car.
The Evija’s top speed of 200 mph is surely enough for any budding top gun. Therein lies the connection, as Lotus says the inspiration for the car originated from looking at fighter jets. It’s possible to almost see all the way through the car’s ‘Venturi tunnels’, there to generate downforce to help keep the car on the road. These tunnels are edged in red LED lights and so it’s not too much of a stretch of the imagination to think of these as a jet’s afterburners. There are five driving modes – Range, City, Tour, Sport and Track and 0–62 mph can be reached in under three seconds.
It’s a lightweight, but purely in weight terms, coming in at just under 1,700 kg: impressive considering its battery and four motors. The battery pack is mid-mounted behind the two seats and supplies energy directly to four e-motors. The highly efficient system is the lightest electric power package ever fitted to a road car.
The Evija’s top speed of 200 mph is surely enough for any budding top gun. Therein lies the connection, as Lotus says the inspiration for the car originated from looking at fighter jets. It’s possible to almost see all the way through the car’s ‘Venturi tunnels’, there to generate downforce to help keep the car on the road. These tunnels are edged in red LED lights and so it’s not too much of a stretch of the imagination to think of these as a jet’s afterburners. There are five driving modes – Range, City, Tour, Sport and Track and 0–62 mph can be reached in under three seconds.
Evija is the perfect name for our new car because it’s the first hypercar from Lotus, our first electric offering and a Lotus like no other. It will re-establish our brand on the global automotive stage and pave the way for further visionary models.
Phil Popham, CEO Lotus Cars
For those who do happen upon one in their rearview mirror, they’ll see the logo has been designed to read ‘Alive’ when read backwards. To aid aerodynamics, wing mirrors have been done away with and instead pop-out cameras are integrated into the front wings.
This is an extremely well-constructed and thought-out car, and the 130 production number set is a tribute to the car’s project code, Type 130. Throughout the brand’s seven decades of success, Lotus road and race cars have all been assigned a Type number, the Evija being no exception.
The Lotus Evija marks the start of an exciting new chapter in the history of this well-loved British sports car marque and is the first major Lotus model launched under the stewardship of Geely automotive group – it’s a significant step.
The Evija is the first Lotus road car to feature a one-piece carbon fibre monocoque chassis. The advanced all-electric powertrain has been developed with technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering, famed for success in motorsport, from Formula One to electrifying the first four seasons of Formula E.
The bottom line is that in having one of these, you can take off with a very green and clean conscience.
essence info
www.lotuscars.com
This is an extremely well-constructed and thought-out car, and the 130 production number set is a tribute to the car’s project code, Type 130. Throughout the brand’s seven decades of success, Lotus road and race cars have all been assigned a Type number, the Evija being no exception.
The Lotus Evija marks the start of an exciting new chapter in the history of this well-loved British sports car marque and is the first major Lotus model launched under the stewardship of Geely automotive group – it’s a significant step.
The Evija is the first Lotus road car to feature a one-piece carbon fibre monocoque chassis. The advanced all-electric powertrain has been developed with technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering, famed for success in motorsport, from Formula One to electrifying the first four seasons of Formula E.
The bottom line is that in having one of these, you can take off with a very green and clean conscience.
essence info
www.lotuscars.com