Testing of the Lotus Evora 414E hybrid has begun at the company’s facilities in Hethel, Norfolk. Lotus claim the durability and dynamic testing is ahead of schedule.
The Evora 414E range extender hybrid electric vehicle is an engineering prototype designed to showcase Lotus Engineering’s latest developments.
It is powered by a pair of motors powering the rear wheels and a battery pack charged by a three-cylinder engine which can run on petrol, ethanol or methanol. The engine drives a generator which either charges the battery or drives the motors directly. The batteries can also be charged from a mains electricity supply.
Lotus claims the Evora 414E hybrid has a pure EV range of 30 miles and records 55g/km of CO2. Power is rated at 408bhp - or 414PS, hence its name - and 738lb ft. It is said to produce a 0-60mph time of around 4.0sec and a 130mph top speed.
Simon Corbett, principal dynamics test and development engineer said the 414E has two and half times the torque of the Evora S and described the acceleration as “indescribable, the surge of torque is like an ocean wave”.
The project has been funded by the government’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board.
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soon
depends on budget. Ampera available now, Ford focus EV for sale in America and will be in Europe at the end of the year, Golf Mk 7 will be available in hybrid and EV form. Renault Zoe available soon too
Once Again ...
I applaud Lotus (a relatively small car manufacturer) for researching electric propulsion for their cars and I hope that the Evora makes it to production ...
But once again, stories such as these only highlight the fact that the "big players" (save Toyota and Nissan) are dragging their heels in bringing this technology to the masses ... Where is the "affordable" electric vehicle from Ford, PSA, VAG ... ??
To join GM, Fisker and Tata in Range extender principal
It's a bit like the Telsa mk2 and wow that's alot of torques.
30 mile range from plug in power is a bit low but I suppose if you've a 15 mile drive to work you can get away without putting petrol in it for a week, and great to see the range extender idea only needs a small 3 cylinder petrol engine rather than the 1.5 in the Ampera
Good to see Lotus thinking ahead, 9 out of 10 when/if it makes it to production.