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This 450-hp electric Lotus Evora is powered by Tesla and Chevrolet

When someone mentions an electric Lotus, the first thing that comes to mind is the Tesla Roadster, the California-based automaker's first vehicle. That car started life as an Elise before being heavily massaged and adapted by Tesla's engineers. In a similar spirit, the people at Onpoint Dyno are close to finishing Blue Lightning, a track-ready all-electric Lotus Evora. Blue Lightning uses a Tesla drive unit and a Chevrolet Volt battery pack, both mounted in the middle in place of the Evora's 3.5-liter Toyota V6. It's putting down about 450 horsepower at the wheels. The car was built for time attack sessions, so power is fed through custom forged wheels and super sticky Pirelli PZero Trofeo R tires, the same ones found on the last Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. There is a custom digital instrument cluster in place of the Lotus gauges. There's also a regen paddle on the left side of the steering wheel. With a full charge, Blue Lighting should go about 120 miles. While the car runs under its own power, it's only about 90 percent complete. It has no power steering, no firewall in between the seats and the motor and battery pack, no A/C, and a large hole where the shift lever used to be. Other final touches include fine-tuning the brakes and suspension. There is also a custom rear bumper coming that should make it look more like the new Lotus Evora 400. Onpoint Dyno expects the car to hit the track in the next month or so. Related Video:

Refuel, TMC Connect conspire on most electric weekend ever

Refuel is back for 2014 and so is TMC Connect. This year the two events have logistically coordinated to make the July 18th weekend quite possibly the most electric ever. Refuel by Speed Ventures has been introducing owners of electric cars, motorcycles, and even go-karts to the wonders of the iconic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for the past six years, giving them the opportunity to explore its wondrous twists and turns at speed. For the more competitive-minded, the SportElectric TT allows participants to turn up the wick and race against the clock for trophies and glory. This year, they've even added an autocross course for your tire-squealing pleasure. This year, they've even added an autocross course for your tire-squealing pleasure. TMC Connect is a symposium for Tesla enthusiasts organized by the popular Tesla Motors Club forum. Having held its inaugural event last year under the Teslive banner just down the road from the Calfornia automaker's Fremont factory, the the conference has opted to motor southward to beautiful Monterey and let attendees take advantage of the coinciding Refuel event. Sunday's fun track time will be preceded by an informative Saturday, with number of speakers including Tesla's VP of Business Development Diarmuid O'Connell and Chelsea Sexton, the world's best known EV advocate and industry adviser. The concurrence of the two events ensures that there will be a large number of participants in on-track events, and so Refuel organizers have set up two different run groups. While there might be a sea of Teslas, we are also certain there will be quite a number of other, unique battery-powered vehicles on hand to check out. You can get more details from the official press release below or by visiting the Refuel website. If you are interested in attending TMC Connect, you can get more information and register via its website. REFUEL Welcomes Electric Vehicles to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Speed Ventures presents the 6th Annual REFUEL Clean Power Motorsports Event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California on Sunday, July 20, 2014. For the sixth year running, Speed Ventures, the leading recreational motorsports club with operations in California and Nevada, welcomes electric cars and motorcycles to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California to showcase cutting-edge clean transportation technology in a motorsports setting.

Tesla drops Model S prices in Europe due to strengthening euro [UPDATE]

Tesla Motors has been thinking about European Model S sales for years, but things haven't always gone as planned. While sales have been brisk in Norway, the car is less popular in places like Germany, where sales have been slow - less than 100 units sold in the first two months - according to Inside EVs, which prompted the introduction of a special Autobahn package. To reverse the trend, Tesla is putting on its finest plaid polyester suit and is slashing prices like they're going out of style. Yes, we know Tesla doesn't have traditional dealerships and the whole suit thing is an old stereotype, but sometimes you just gotta run with it. Tesla PR in America hasn't responded to our request for confirmation (see update below), but online sources show the drops are fairly substantial. In Germany, for example, Tesla has dropped almost 7,000 euros ($9,700 US at today's exchange rate) off the price, down to 65,300 euros ($90,600), while in Holland, the new price is down 4,000 ($5,500) euros to 66,200 ($91,900). No reason was given for these drops, but we can't help but suspect that demand isn't too strong at the moment. To help increase sales, Tesla recently announced an expansion of its Supercharger network on the continent. The price of the Model S has not dropped in the US, where the base model starts at $69,900 before incentives. *UPDATE: Tesla's director of global communications, Elizabeth Jarvis-Shean, said that our speculation that demand is low is "simply incorrect." She added: "Changes were made two months ago to all the base prices of Model S across our markets in the Euro-zone due to the strengthening of the Euro. We continuously evaluate currency fluctuations to be able to offer our customers the best price for Model S. Prolonged currency exchange rate fluctuations are the reason for the adjustment of the base pricing of the car."