Lotus is well known for making more than capable sports cars. After all, the original Tesla Roadster is built on a Lotus Elise chassis, so they know a thing or two about designing cars.
Now the British automaker is delving into the world of electric vehicles (EVs) with the Lotus Evija.
The Evija is definitely has a head turning design, and will feature four individual electric motors paired with a 70kWh lithium ion battery pack that will pump out an estimated 2,000 horsepower.
As with all EVs, the batteries are heavy, which leads to most EV manufacturers designing a “skateboard” platform. This allows for a low center of gravity that increases handling and safety.
Lotus has decided to take a different path, with the battery pack instead being placed near the middle of the vehicle, like a traditional mid-engine vehicle.
Despite the heavy batteries, the Evija will tip the scales at only 3,700lbs, thanks to some unique weight-saving techniques. To keep the weight in check, they use as much carbon fiber as possible. But they also designed a number of parts in combination with others, like the steering column being mounted to the ducting for the HVAC system.
Lotus will only manufacture 130 units of the Evija, which are likely all already accounted for even with a hefty $2.3M price tag. The automaker will use what it learns from the design and manufacturing of this project to help develop other cars in the coming years.
Check out the Lotus Evija gallery below.
h/t [Autoblog]
