Lotus Evija, 2,000 hp electric supercar

Lotus presented yesterday in London the Evija full-electric hypercar with nearly 2,000 hp (1,973 to be precise), the most powerful series productions vehicle ever built by the British sports-car maker.

Lotus says that despite a switch to electric, which increases weight because of batteries, the Evija conforms to Lotus's tradition of building lightweight cars first established by its founder, Colin Chapman. The car is the first Lotus to use a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis; the company is confident of hitting a 1,680 kg target weight.

Total power of 1,973 hp is delivered by four electric motors to drive the Evija from 0 to 100 km/h in less than three seconds. Its top speed is more than 340 km/h. The 70 kw/h/2,000 kW battery power pack, developed with Williams Advanced Engineering, will achieve a range of 400 km as measured under Europe's WLTP testing cycle, and would be compatible with a future network of 800 kilowatt chargers, but can be recharged to 100 percent from zero in 18 minutes using the latest 350 kW charge points, Lotus said.

«The Evija will re-establish our brand in the hearts and minds of sports car fans and on the global automotive stage. The car will pave the way for further visionary models» Lotus Ceo Phil Popham said as the car was unveiled on Tuesday.

The Lotus Evija has been designed and engineered at Lotus’ historic home in Hethel, UK, and production will begin in a new dedicated on-site manufacturing facility during 2020.

Just 130 Evijas will be sold at 1.7 million pounds plus taxes each (just under 2 million euros).