Lotus Presents The Evija, The World’s Most Powerful Car (And EV)

The British company claims it will offer 2,000 PS (1,963 hp)

Hypercars may sound like something that is opposite to the energy efficiency EVs are proud of offering. But we should never forget Tesla made EVs popular because it also made them fun to drive. This is something companies with electric ambition are pretty aware of. Check Pininfarina. Or the new Lotus Evija, a car that promises 2,000 PS (1,963 hp).

If you think Evija – or “E-vi-ya”, as Lotus teaches – reminds you of the Argentinian first lady, Evita Perón, it really does. Both names come from Eve (Eva, in Spanish), and its meaning is “the first in existence” or “the living one”, according to Lotus.

The new hypercar, also named Type 130, will be limited to 130 units. Each of them with prices from £ 1.5 million to £ 2 million (US$ 2.5 million) – depending on specification – and without duties and taxes. Production and deliveries start in 2020, with a £ 250,000 (US$ 310,000) deposit to ensure you may get one.

The Evija is 4.46 meters (175.6 inches) long, 2 m (78.7 in) wide and 1.12 m (44.1 in) tall. Its wheelbase has not been informed. Lotus claims this hypercar will be the lightest ever, at 1,680 kg (3,704 lb), something that would make Colin Chapman cry in desperation. 

Another irony in the Evija, besides its weight, is the fact that it has been developed with the help of a former rival, Williams. Or, more precisely, Williams Advanced Engineering. WAE has been involved in the first four seasons of Formula E.

The car will be equipped with four electric motors, one for each wheel, but they are mounted in the center of the car for lower unsprung mass. A “single-speed, helical gear ground planetary gearbox” – supplied by Xtrac – connects each engine to a driveshaft.

The battery pack is also centrally-mounted, right behind the passenger compartment instead of distributed under the floor. We are curious to see how the car will behave with that arrangement.

The e-motors, as Lotus calls them, come from Integral Powertrain Ltd. They are placed in “a bespoke in-line axial arrangement” and have silicon carbide inverters. Each epicyclic transmission is integrated with the other two components into what Lotus calls EDU, or Electrical Drive Unit. 

With its body supplied by CPC, from Modena, only the assembly will be genuinely British. It will happen in Hethel, Lotus’ historic headquarters.

The company does not mention what sort of electric motors the Evija will have. It just says they will make it accelerate from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in less than 3 seconds and allow it to reach a top speed above 211 mph (340 km/h). 

Lotus also claims its battery pack can be recharged at 800 kW. A full charge would take only 9 minutes. In the best chargers available, the 350 kW units, an 80 percent recharge could take 12 minutes. A complete recharge would require 18 minutes.

The total range is 250 miles (400 km) on the WLTP combined cycle and 270 mi (435 km) on the same NEDC cycle. The battery pack capacity is 70 kWh.

The Evija will have five driving modes: Range, City, Tour, Sport, and Track. Needless to say, they are ordered in terms of increasing performance. Lotus states a fully-charged Evija will be able to deliver full power at the Track mode for up to seven minutes.

There are some questions that are still not answered about this car, but it has presented figures that will make the Pininfarina Battista feel worried. If it manages to deliver them, Evija may live up to its name as the first heavy Lotus to offer superb handling. 

With a contradictory electro-hydraulic power steering system. The Evija may be an EV, but it wants to present “a pure steering feel” Lotus probably did not think was possible with an all-electric power steering. Go figure…

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