Lotus Evija edges closer to production

The upcoming Lotus Evija all-electric hypercar has entered its next stage of development, with the British sports car specialist sharing vision of a prototype hitting its Hethel test track this week.

Leading the tests on track is Gavan Kershaw, director of vehicle attributes for Lotus, who explains several aspects of the vehicle in the below video.

Britain’s first all-electric hypercar claims to develop up to 2000PS (1471kW) and 2000Nm from its quad-motor electric drive system in its most aggressive setup, which will make it the most powerful production car ever when it hits the road.

The Evija will offer five distinct drive modes:

• Range: Limited to 1000PS (735kW) and 800Nm, and intelligently switches the Evija from four-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive to maximise the driving range and minimise power consumption. 
• City: Offers greater power control and decreases the level of regenerative braking for urban driving.
• Tour: Provides switchable four-wheel or rear-wheel drive, delivering over 1400PS (1030kW) with torque-vectoring.
• Sport: Turns outputs up to 1700PS (1250kW) and 1700Nm, and toggles the stability control system to increase traction levels. 
• Track: The most extreme setting, boosting power to the maximum 2000PS (1471kW) and 2000Nm. It delivers the highest level of torque-vectoring with the Evija’s Drag Reduction System (DRS) available on request. The chassis setting is automatically switched to Track.

The Evija’s battery pack is located right behind the seats, which the company says echoes “the classic mid-mounted powertrain layout of so many Lotus cars”.

Lotus promises agile handling and exceptional steering, as is the brand’s DNA.

“Lotus cars are very nimble, inspiring great confidence when being driven, and the Evija is no different to that,” says Kershaw.

This week the Lotus Evija will attend the Salon Prive Concours d’Elegance in the UK, one of the region’s most exclusive auto shows held in the gardens of Blenheim Palace located in the Oxfordshire countryside.

Pricing hasn’t been officially communicated, but reports from overseas claim the Evija costs somewhere between £1.5 million and £2 million in the UK, making it somewhere between $2.67 million and $3.56 million as a direct conversion – before other taxes and charges. Prospective buyers were required to put down a $450,000 deposit, mind you.

First customer deliveries were initially due to commence before the end of this year, but it’s unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has delayed plans.

Apparently there’s a handful of the 130-unit production run that could be headed for Australian roads, too.

MORE: Lotus Evija configurator goes live