The new electric hypercar from Lotus is one sick $2.6 million luxury rocket that lays claim to be “the most powerful production car in the world.” The Lotus Evija puts out 1973 horsepower (hp) and can go 0-186mph in less than 9 seconds!
There will be 130 Lotus Evija’s built by hand at Factory 3 in Hethel, Norfolk, which has recently been refurbished as the Lotus headquarters. Phil Popham, the Chief Executive Officer of Lotus commented about the new Evija:
With our new factory-ready, we are ahead of the pack in the emerging EV hypercar segment and 100% ready for some healthy competition.
The new Evija is Lotus’s first new model launch under the new Geely ownership, and their first new model in more than 10 years. The company said this will act as a “halo” for all future Lotus model vehicles, and it’s beautiful.
Russell Carr the design director on the Evija commented:
The Lotus Evija is a true Lotus, in that it elegantly balances stunning aesthetic forms with ingenious technical solutions to create a beautiful car with innovative design features. It will re-establish our brand on the global automotive stage and pave the way for further visionary models.
At 2000ps the Evija is the most powerful car to ever enter production, with a top speed of over 200mph (320 km/h). The expected battery range is around 250 miles (400 km), and the car only weighs 1680 kg, which is the lightest EV hypercar ever produced. The Lotus Evija will come with a 70kWh battery that can be charged with a 350kW power source, which can be fully recharged in 18 minutes.
The Evija’s aerodynamic body sits low at just 1.12m high, is 2.0m wide and 4.59m long, and according to the company “marks the beginning of a contemporary new Lotus design language.” As Carr explained; “We have the cabin sat low within those fenders, which are really important to us because the car’s all about dynamics, and if the cabin sits low and the fenders are pronounced, you have the impression that the car’s got a low center of gravity.”
He goes on to say, with the electric drive, it’s possible to move the battery packs around and exploit different design features that wouldn’t be possible with a combustion engine.
The interior is clean, with just one digital read-out screen in front of the driver displaying only necessary functional information. The center console has touch-sensitive, haptic feedback buttons, where the lights highlight the controls by following your fingers.
The overall design of this car is nearly flawless. The carbon fiber frame can be seen from inside the cockpit of the car, something that was inspired by 1950s and 60s race cars. It was important to design the car with plenty of space on the inside, as Carr states; “There’s a certain luxury to space and in such cars, you can feel very claustrophobic. This feels open.”
He goes on to explain in an interview with Autocar why he added certain design features that set this Lotus apart:
When you look at the car from the outside you see familiar volume, we hope a very beautiful-looking car. It’s important that it’s beautiful in the first place. But as you walk around it you start to see openings that go through the car, which allow the air to pass through. As I say, that gives it a different aesthetic, draws the eye through the car and over the car, and gives it a great sense of movement.
If you’re wanting to purchase one of these modern marvels, you will have to wait until they announce more models in the future, as all 130 $2.6 million Lotus Evija hypercars have already been sold for 2020. I must admit when I get an extra $3 million I’ll be in line for the next release.
