Lotus unveils its all electric hypercar, Evija

Resurgent British sports car maker Lotus has unveiled the Evija, the world’s first all-electric British hypercar, at an exclusive event in London.

Hosted at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Victoria, over two sessions, more than 350 VIP guests attended. They were made up of international automotive, business, technology and design media, plus a host of UK business leaders, corporate and commercial partners, government officials, Lotus employees, racing drivers and other distinguished friends of the brand. Also in attendance was a delegation of senior figures from Geely Auto, the world's fastest growing automotive group and majority shareholder of Group Lotus.

Phil Popham, Lotus Cars CEO, and Russell Carr, Design Director, presented the striking two-seater EV hypercar to the audience. Popham described it as a bold statement of intent from the iconic British company, illustrative of its ambition under the stewardship of Geely. He added: “Evija will re-establish Lotus as a leader in terms of engineering and design. It is a hypercar that is built ‘For The Drivers'. The Evija is beyond anything Lotus has ever done… beyond anything I've ever done. We have created something beautiful, something new, dramatic and unique.”

As a name, Evija (pronounced ‘E-vi-ya') means ‘the first in existence' or ‘the living one'. The Evija marks the start of an exciting new chapter in the history of an iconic and much-loved British sports car brand. It is the first hypercar from Lotus, and the company's first model with an electrified powertrain.

Production is limited to not more than 130 examples, making it among the most exclusive cars ever launched. It's a figure set in tribute to the car's project code, Type 130. Lotus road and race cars throughout the brand's seven decades of success have been assigned a Type number, and the Evija is no exception.

The Evija is the most powerful and dynamically accomplished road car in the history of Lotus, and sets a new standard for Lotus driving performance. It is the first all-electric British hypercar and the first Lotus with an electrified powertrain. It is also the first new model since Geely took control in 2017.

A stunning piece of contemporary automotive design, the Evija features a dramatic Venturi tunnel through each rear quarter, giving it a truly breath-taking presence. Russell Carr, Design Director, Lotus Cars, said: “We studied how Le Mans race cars use air flow creatively to go over, under and around the vehicle, but also through it. This concept of ‘porosity' is key to the Evija and has enabled us to create a timeless design with exceptional amounts of downforce.”

The Evija is the first Lotus road car to feature a one-piece carbon fibre monocoque chassis. The cabin, from the fully adjustable race-style seats to the multi-function steering wheel, is the very pinnacle of motorsport-inspired road car design and technology.

At the heart of the Evija is an ultra-advanced all-electric powertrain. It has been developed with technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering, famed for success in motorsport, from Formula One to electrifying the first four seasons of Formula E. The battery pack is mid-mounted immediately behind the two seats and supplies energy directly to four powerful e-motors. This highly efficient system is the lightest, most energy dense, electric power package ever fitted to a road car. With a target weight of just 1,680 kg, it will be the lightest pure electric hypercar ever to go into series production.

Engineered for precise and sustained performance, the Evija has five driving modes - Range, City, Tour, Sport and Track. It can race from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in under three seconds and accelerate to a top speed of more than 200 mph (0-320 km/h).

A technical tour de force, the Evija is illustrative of the innovative thinking and ingenuity that has always been part of the Lotus DNA. With a target output of 2000 PS, it is the world's most powerful series production road car. It has been designed and engineered in the UK, and will be produced at Hethel, UK, the home of Lotus since 1966. A maximum of 130 will be built.

The Evija is priced from £1.7 million ($2.1 million) plus duties and taxes. A £250,000 ($310,000) deposit secures a production slot.