- lotus has revealed a sketch of a future electric sports car with a wedge-like design reminiscent of the iconic esprit.
- the sports car will utilize batteries developed in a new partnership with britishvolt, a u.k.-based battery cell specialist.
- before this ev sports car arrives, lotus will begin deliveries of the electric evija hypercar and will unveil an electric suv, called type 132.
british automaker lotus, purveyor of lightweight sports cars, has already begun its transition to electric vehicles with the 1972-horsepower evija, a hypercar with a claimed top speed of over 200 mph. now lotus has announced plans for another battery-powered sports car, which will be the result of a collaboration with britishvolt, a company specializing in battery-cell development.
lotus revealed a sketch of the future sports car, which features sharp, angular lines reminiscent of early versions of the lotus esprit from the late 1970s and early 1980s. the iconic wedge shape of the esprit—which famously featured in the james bond flick the spy who loved me as a submarine—is elongated in the sketch, and features a union jack motif over the rear haunch. it’s unclear whether the production sports car will mimic the esprit as closely, but lotus says it provides the “first clues.”
the partnership between lotus and britishvolt will center around the co-development of a new battery cell which will provide the juice for the next generation of sporty lotus evs. the primary focus will be boosting energy density, reducing battery weight, and decreasing charging times. before this new sports car arrives, lotus will unveil the type 132, a new all-electric suv, at some point this year. deliveries of the lotus evija should also begin in 2022, after delays caused by the global pandemic and resulting supply shortages.