Lotus Evija electric hypercar unveiled
Called the Evija, it is Lotus' answer to the manic Battista. However, all its figures mentioned in the forthcoming lines are 'targetted', as of now. What makes the Evija a head-turner, apart from the bonkers exterior, are its performance figures.
By Divyank K. Bansal
The iconic British sports car maker has entered the realm of electric hypercars with the Evija, which is also its first completely new model under the ownership of Geely.
The world of electric hypercars was set ablaze, not too long ago, with the arrival of the Italian Pininfarina Battista. With its 120kWh Li-ion battery, the EV puts to shame performance thoroughbreds like the Bugatti Chiron. Now though, another player has emerged on the hyper EV scene, with its intention to take away the 'most powerful performance EV' tag from the Battista. This time, the carmaker in question is the gritty British sports car maker, Lotus.
Called the Evija, it is Lotus' answer to the manic Battista. However, all its figures mentioned in the forthcoming lines are 'targetted', as of now. What makes the Evija a head-turner, apart from the bonkers exterior, are its performance figures. Lotus aims to make the Evija a 1,973bhp hyper EV, with a targetted top speed of over 320km/h. The electric powertrain, developed with Williams Advanced Engineering, delivers all this power through four independent electric motors, capable of producing up to 493bhp, each.
Famed for its mid-engine layout, Lotus has retained the signature characteristic by fitting the Evija's 2000kW Li-ion battery pack in the spine of the single-piece carbon fibre monocoque chassis (another first for a Lotus-built car). What's more, with a targetted weight of 1,680kg, the Evija is likely to become the lightest production hyper EV. Despite the tarmac-tearing performance figures, the Lotus Evija will also offer a predicted driving range of 400km. With a 350kW charger (the highest charging capacity currently available), the Evija can be charged up to 80 per cent in about 12 minutes. However, Lotus claims that with a theoretical 800kW charger, it can receive its full charge in 9 minutes!
The Evija is expected to go into production in 2020, and Lotus is expected to produce only 130 units of it, as a tribute to its 'Type 130' moniker. Each unit carries a pre-tax price tag of £1.7 million, while a £250,000 deposit secures a production slot.
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