The bonkers Evija all-electric hypercar is not the only EV project on Lotus Cars’ agenda.
While the 1,972 HP (2,000 PS) Evija will act as a technology showcase and brand flagship, Lotus plans to build less exclusive electric sports cars too – and it will do so with funding from the UK Government.
The company has just announced that an engineering partnership it leads has won UK Government support and funding to develop an all-new next-generation Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) architecture.
Confirmed today by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), the funding is awarded as part of the APC’s Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator (ARMD) competition. The successful application is called LEVA, which stands for Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture, and will be funded by the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
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According to Lotus, the project targets “the acceleration of and innovation behind new lightweight structures for next-generation BEVs.” LEVA is said to incorporated cutting-edge UK-based engineering and digital manufacturing expertise, acting as “a showcase for pioneering new BEV chassis and powertrain concepts.” To bring the LEVA project to fruition, Lotus will collaborate with supply chain partner Sarginsons Industries and leading academics from Brunel University London.
“This is great news for our industry and its transition to electrification. As a collaboration between Lotus, Sarginsons Industries and Brunel University London there is a wealth of talent involved, and we are excited to have already begun the project work,” said Matt Windle, Executive Director of Engineering, Lotus.
“Following the launch of the Lotus Evija, our all-electric 2,000 PS hypercar, this project is a key building block in our vision to deliver a full range of electrified Lotus performance cars ‘For The Drivers’. Funding of this nature is critical to stimulate the automotive industry and supply chain as both continue to adjust to a rapidly changing landscape.”
That’s about all Lotus is willing to share for now, but the company promises more details will follow in due course.