The New Lotus Evika Supercar (can we call it supercar if it's pure electric?)

Here's some pics and my humble opinion. Love to hear from design buffs if I'm off the track..

2020 LOTUS EVIJA :1,972-HP, $2.1 MILLION ELECTRIC HYPERCAR


Lotus, now owned by the Chinese, believes there is no ceiling on exotic car prices. Hence their latest offering the Evija, is an over-the-top car on the theory that those who buy in the La Ferrari/Bugatti type market are not deterred by price.

Only 130 will be built. The Chinese are banking on the fact that engine sound is not important anymore. That’s because the Evija is all electric rated at 1,972 horsepower (2,000 metric hp).

They boast it will go from 0 to 186 mph in 8.6 seconds faster than a Bugatti Chiron.


The price is over $2 million or about the price of 18 new 2020 mid engine Corvettes.

The car is all new, from its carbon-fiber structure that boasts a semi-active and Multimatic-supplied inboard suspension that bolts directly onto the tub. Would you be surprised that the carbon fibre monocoque tub comes from the homeland of exotic cars, Modena Italy, where its built by C.P.C. Srl .The whole frame weighs just 284 pounds.

The power source is a 2,000-kW lithium-ion battery—developed together with Williams Advanced Engineering. Now I don’t know if a battery is that exciting as an engine but they’ve got it on display behind the passenger part of the cockpit. Down below out of sight is the four electric motors supplied by Integral Powertrain Limited. Each wheel gets its power , independently, which could lead to all sorts of torque-vectoring opportunities.

Lotus promises that the 3704 lb. car can go more than 200 mph, 0-60 in less than 3 seconds.

Now how long to charge it they say 18 minutes with a 350-kW charging station, and predict the range is 270 miles on the NEDC cycle.

There is a choice of driving modes—from mild to wild ‘y might say: Eco, City, Tour, Sport, and Track. The EV powertrain is liquid cooled.

DESIGN ANALYSIS:

SIDE: reminiscent of 2020 Corvette, but alas no removable roof as in the Corvette

With dark roof edges it emphasizes how forward the canopy is.

Carved out body side to feed side scoop seems to be too big.

But the vent to let air out that has been through brakes cooling scoops (or auxiliary radiators) is good; innovative in that they were able to have both a vent and a scoop in the same four feet or so of side body. It seems lift up doors are the standard in the over one million dollar cars, though there is always the problem of opening the side windows.

FRONT:There is little you can do to separate a new mid engine car design from other supercars, but this approach is somewhat novel, an air intake on each side of the hood. The stacked headlights are at least confined to a narrow space, not spreading out all over.

REAR: I can’t believe that having just the outer ring of red talllamp is sufficient to meet the law but it may be. It is certainly a novel approach. No rival can copy it without having a similar shaped rear end. The Vee-shaped
boat-tail roof seems to be all too common. There’s no engine to see as in the 2020 Corvette coupe which loses the chance to sell an onlooker who is engine-oriented. (Engine What’s that?)

INTERIOR: Shades of the 2020 Corvette again, with the rectangular steering wheel, and a tall inclined vertical element containing switchgear.

The seats are very purposeful, you wonder what the hole/vent is for at the middle of the leading edge of the seat cushion (perhaps for 4-point shoulder harness?). The textured pedals are great , so there’s less chance of losing your shoe sole’s grip. The one color trim piece that surrounds the interior adds a feeling of continuity.

IN SUM…It’s an interesting supercar, but methinks the car is reaching too high in price, by not having an internal combustion engine, too. Nothing about its styling says “Lotus.” And I’m afraid the price is now , in the light of recent events, going too high when you consider you can buy a 175-mph mid-engine Corvette for 1/18th the price…a car that comes, in coupe form, with a lift off top.




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