Nearly 2,000 hp from Lotus EV means significant chassis development
Mid-mounted battery for stability, like company’s sports cars
Why tell when you can show? Lotus Cars wants to let you know just what the Evija is like, and since this is the first all-electric car from Lotus, a brand that five years ago would likely have been just as happy to leave a battery out completely, it’s a big deal. They’ve put Gavan Kershaw, head of vehicle attributes, behind the wheel and in front of the camera to give us a taste.
Unsurprisingly 1,972 hp gives the Lotus Evija plenty of shove, putting the four tires to work. There are camera views showing the entire exterior of the car, as well as the important bits like a mid-mounted battery pack where once there would have been an engine, as well as the Multimatic DSSV spool-valve dampers that can control a vehicle’s suspension like no other dampers available.
Scooting around the Hethel test track, Kershaw calls it nimble, and responsive. With the mid-mounted battery helping agility and stability as the car reaches speeds of more than 300 km/h.
It will also have five drive modes, starting with Range that limits power to just under 1,000 hp and switches to rear-drive to maximise range from the battery pack. City decreases regenerative braking levels for a more comfortable ride, Tour automatically switches between four and rear-drive, with power at 1,381 hp and torque vectoring sending it to where grip is available and push is needed. Sport ups power to 1,677, and turns down the stability control systems to let you use the power, and finally Track mode brings all the power, the most torque vectoring, and has drag reduction. It also changes chassis settings to Track.
This is our best look at the car in action so far, since Lotus hasn’t quite fully revealed it just yet. So watch and enjoy.
