Lotus Anniversary Edition 1988 on 2040-cars

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The Lotus Evija is the company’s first all-electric hypercar

Internally known as the Type 130, the new Lotus Evija combines several firsts for the British company into one wild shape. First of all, it’s the companyÂ’s first in-house all-electric car – the Lotus chassis provided to the likes of Tesla for the first Roadster doesnÂ’t count. ItÂ’s also the companyÂ’s first hypercar, claiming an astonishing (and provisional) 1,973 horsepower. Perhaps more importantly, itÂ’s the first all-new car from the company since the Evora, and the first to be conceived entirely under the ownership of ChinaÂ’s Geely. Yup, thatÂ’s a lot of firsts. ItÂ’s not the first EV hypercar – itÂ’ll have competition from the likes of Rimac and the upcoming Pininfarina Battista, plus the next-gen Tesla Roadster assuming that does eventually hit the market – but itÂ’s definitely early on the scene. And just look at it – the styling is wild, incorporating some continuing Lotus themes – particularly around the greenhouse – but with an overall direction thatÂ’s much brasher than the companyÂ’s other products. The deep side sculpting resembles is complex and stylized, as are the rounded, narrow quadrangle taillights supported by a massive rear diffuser. The front is arguably the least distinctive and biggest departure for the company. The verticality of the headlamps seems like a blend of the Ferrari F8 Tributo and the old Lamborghini Gallardo, without really aping either. Look closely and it appears to be an evolution of the shape of the EvoraÂ’s lamps, but without that context fresh in your mind itÂ’ll appear more generic supercar than something uniquely Lotus. The bodywork has some neat party tricks. Active aerodynamics allow for an F1-style Drag Reduction System, and thereÂ’s a deployable rear spoiler. There are no fixed side-mirrors; little cameras deploy from the front fenders and another camera embedded in the rear of the roof provides a rear view. ItÂ’s also different. The extruded, bonded aluminum architecture weÂ’re familiar with from the Elise/Exige line and the similar but unique Evora are gone, replaced by a company-first one-piece carbon fiber monocoque tub. Lotus is targeting a curb weight of approximately 3,700 lbs, and the lightweight tub (just 284 lbs) contributes to that.  The battery is housed behind the seats, and feeds power to four individual motors, providing all-wheel drive and infinitely variable torque vectoring.

Lotus Eletre specs, pricing and more detailed for European launch

Lotus revealed the Eletre in full last year, and while details were plentiful back then, the British sports car company has a lot more for us today in the realm of specs and pricing. Unfortunately, we don’t have a full layout of U.S. specs and pricing yet, but we can get a good idea of what to expect by looking at the European-market model. Three different versions will hit the market at launch: Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R. Performance is the same between the Eletre and Eletre S (the S simply adds more luxury equipment), but the R is a unique, high-performance variant. For starters, the base model and S will have an electric motor on the front and rear axles good for a combined 603 horsepower and 524 pound-feet of torque. Lotus says that will be enough for a 4.5-second 0-62 mph time and a 160-mph top speed. Driving range on the WLTP cycle is estimated to be 373 miles for these versions, but expect that number to be down when EPA estimates come out.  The Eletre R notches performance up by a wide margin. Its pair of electric motors produce a combined 905 horsepower and 726 pound-feet of torque, but thereÂ’s a little more than just more powerful motors going on here. Unlike the single-speed transmission the base models use, the Eletre R uses a two-speed transmission for the rear electric motor and a single-speed transmission on the front axle. Lotus says this allows them to optimize the car for ideal launch performance and to improve range at higher speeds. The shifts themselves are automatic. Lotus says the R is capable of doing the 0-62 mph sprint in just 2.95 seconds, and it has a slightly higher top speed of 165 mph. Despite the two-speed transmission, range still takes a sizable hit down to just 304 miles on the optimistic WLTP cycle. We also learn today that the Eletre will house a 112 kWh lithium-ion battery pack in all versions of the SUV. Lotus says it features a maximum charge speed of 350 kW on a capable DC fast charger, which is quick enough to bring you from 10-80% in just 20 minutes. AC charging maxes out at 22 kW, which would allow you to go from 0-100% on your home charger in just six hours. The last big spec Lotus shared today is curb weight. If you opt for the base model with no options, the Eletre can weigh as little as 5,489 pounds. And yeah, thatÂ’s obviously a wild amount of weight for anything with a Lotus badge on it, but the Eletre R is even heavier at 5,820 pounds.

Detroit Electric is actually active in Detroit

Here's some news that will make the urban scavengers sifting through the ruins of the Motor City a little disappointed. Detroit Electric, the slow-moving electric-vehicle maker basing their wares off of a couple of Lotus models is employing people in Detroit. And some local vehicle production may follow. The company is working out of Detroit's Fisher Building, which had been empty last year, and says it plans to boost its employee count from eight to about 20 by the end of the year, The Truth About Cars reports. Detroit Electric changed its production plans for the Lotus Elise-based SP:01 last year, moving the manufacturing base of that model to the Netherlands from a production facility in Plymouth, MI, about 30 miles west of Detroit. Right now, the SP:01 is being worked on in Europe, Malaysia's Paultan.org says. That 201-horsepower model can go from 0-62 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds and has a single-charge range of about 190 miles. That model is expected to be priced at about $135,000. Detroit Electric is also working on a 2+2 EV based on the Lotus Evora, and, while government approvals await, the four-seater may be available for sale as soon as early 2016.