Over the many years it has been in business, Lotus Engineering, the consultancy division of Lotus, has done work for many carmakers and in most cases, the scope of their work has been confidential. Of course, enthusiasts would know that vehicle dynamics is a speciality of the company so it’s not difficult to guess the areas that they would have been involved in.
There have been some models where the Lotus name has been associated with the product – like the Lotus Cortina, Lotus Sunbeam and Lotus Carlton/Omega. These were high-performance cars that were developed, engineered and manufactured in partnership with Ford, Talbot and GM, respectively.
Just last month, Lotus confirmed it would be launching a new electric sportscar in 2026 – designated Type 135 – as part of a range of electrically-powered performance cars to be manufactured in the UK. The sportscar will have innovative new lightweight chassis technology developed through Project LEVA (Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture), which the carmaker mentioned last October.
Project LEVA is a research programme that’s accelerating the development of all-new lightweight structures for next-generation battery electric vehicles. The structure developed through Project LEVA will be integrated into the company’s new architecture for electric sportscars.
This structure represents the ‘blueprint’ for the next generation of electric sportscars, for future Lotus products, and for the Lotus Engineering consultancy to commercialise. One example of its innovation is that the rear structure is 37% lighter than it is on the Lotus Emira V6. It is fully adaptable to provide a platform for a range of vehicle types with variable layouts, wheelbase lengths, battery sizes and configurations.
All three layouts feature a common lightweight die-cast rear subframe with multiple interchangeable components. This is the Project LEVA innovation: it means a single vehicle architecture can accommodate two different types of battery configurations.
The ‘Chest’ layout is where the modules are stacked vertically behind the two seats. A chest layout is a ‘mid-mounted power pack’, ideal for sportscar/hypercar vehicle types where a low overall ride height and low centre of gravity are required, eg Lotus Evija pure electric hypercar.
The ‘Slab’ layout, where the modules are integrated horizontally under the cabin, is most suitable for vehicles where a higher ride height and a taller overall profile is required. It is often referred to as a ‘skateboard power pack’ layout.
The innovative new subframe features cylindrical battery cells for high energy density, with the option of a single or twin electronic drive unit (EDU) to support. Cold cure, spot bonding and advanced weld processes mean reduced environmental impact during assembly.
This unique degree of flexibility and modularity in wheelbase and propulsion solutions will be the genesis for a wide variety of electric vehicle applications. These could be for the Lotus electric sportscar – scheduled for launch in 2026 – as well as for other clients through Lotus Engineering.
“Project LEVA is as revolutionary now as the Elise architecture was in 1996. In true Lotus spirit, significant weight-savings have been achieved throughout, with a focus on ultimate performance, efficiency and safety being engineered into the structure from the outset,” said Richard Rackham, Head of Vehicle Concepts at Lotus. He leads Project LEVA and is best known for his revolutionary work on development of the extruded aluminium Lotus Elise architecture 25 years ago.
Group Lotus, once owned by Proton and now owned by its shareholder, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has big plans for the rest of the decade, with a product plan for the next 5 years that will see at least 5 new models. The ongoing strategic plan, known as Vision80, outlines the transformation of the company ahead of its 80th birthday in 2028.
Also of significance to the journey of global expansion is the establishment of Lotus Technology. This is a new division of Group Lotus, a global ‘intelligent technology’ subsidiary which augments the brand’s DNA and technology accumulated over the 73 years that Lotus has been in business. Its role is to accelerate innovation in the fields of batteries and energy management, electric motors, electronic control systems, intelligent driving, intelligent manufacturing and more.
Expanding the global footprint
Working hand in hand, China-based Lotus Technology and the UK-based Lotus team are at the core of Group Lotus’ future development strategy. Lotus in the UK will be responsible for the development and production of sportscars, as well as coordinating global sales for the Lotus brand. Lotus Technology in China will be responsible for integrating a new generation of lifestyle products, bringing together China’s EV and manufacturing specialisms, UK’s design and advanced performance centres and Germany-based R&D resources (at the Lotus Technology Innovation Centre in Raunheim), as well as the global development and production of premium intelligent drive technologies.
“Transforming Lotus from a UK sportscar company to a truly global performance car company has always been at the core of Vision80. The launch of Lotus Technology is a major milestone on the road to making that a reality, while adhering to the unwavering Lotus principles of pure performance, efficiency, motorsport success and, above all, being ‘For the Drivers’,” said Matt Windle, Managing Director of Lotus Cars.
New factory for Lotus EVs in China
The new Lotus Technology headquarters will be completed in 2024, while an all-new Lotus factory, to manufacture Lotus electric vehicles for global markets, will open later this year. The new plant, located in Wuhan has an investment of over £900 million (about RM5.17 billion). It will complement existing UK sportscar manufacturing and performance facilities in England. It is being built with the world’s most advanced manufacturing technologies to become a global centre of excellence for Lotus’ premium lifestyle models.
The new plant is the first in the world with an integrated intelligent test track. It features an advanced system whereby vehicles can be transported into workshops using autonomous driving technology without any human intervention. It is designed to accommodate vehicles driving at speeds up to 230 km/h) through 16 corners.
In the field of intelligent drive, Lotus has also unveiled the concept of ‘track-level intelligent drive’ as a 10-year technological development target. The new technology’s aim is to assist drivers to perform as well as an F1 driver on track, while increasing driver safety and improving performance on the road through advanced software and hardware. The result is a more rewarding and reassuring experience in any environment.
5 new models in 5 years
As for the new models, which are in addition to the Evija all-electric hypercar and the Emira (the last petrol-powered sportscar from Lotus), the first one will be an E-segment SUV codenamed ‘Type 132’ which will be launched next year. It will be followed in 2023 by an E-segment 4-door coupe (Type 133), and in 2025 by the Type 134, a new D-segment SUV. This trio will be joined in 2026 by the Type 135, an all-new electric sportscar.
The development of the brand’s new premium lifestyle vehicles will take place on the Lotus Premium architecture, one of the four new vehicle platforms announced at the Driving Tomorrow global strategy conference in April. The Premium architecture supports a wheelbase range from 2889 mm -3100 mm and could be further expanded in the future. It supports the development of all types of passenger vehicles from C+ to E segments. Using 92 – 120 kWh batteries, it is compatible with the industry’s most advanced 800V high-speed EV charging system. Products developed on this platform will be capable of 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 3 seconds.
Since being founded by Colin Chapman in 1948, Lotus has been among the industry leaders in innovation with its commitment to pure driving, outstanding ride and handling, lightweight technologies and aerodynamic engineering. Today, with the backing and global resources of Geely Holding Group, the company benefits from new capabilities in R&D, manufacturing and supply chain management.
Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group since mid-2017 (although a Malaysian shareholder still has 49%), is changing gears to accelerate its business forward. Broadcasting a new dawn for the company via Driving Tomorrow, a global virtual conference, the British carmaker has revealed four new vehicle architectures, a technology roadmap, a fresh global retail identity and the name of an all-new car.
Its strategic direction was actually formulated with Vision80, launched in 2018 soon after the company’s 70th anniversary. Based on three key pillars – transforming the business, revolutionising the product range and delivering results every year – Vision80 commits Lotus to meet its transformational targets by the time of its 80th birthday in 2028.
2021 begins the fourth year of that plans and the transformation remains on track in spite of the challenging period during 2020. “This year is a pivotal one for Lotus, particularly with our sportscars; we reach the end of one era and begin another. The spirit and passion that gave the world the Elise, Exige and Evora will live on in the next generation of cars – cars like the all-new Lotus Emira,” said Matt Windle, MD of Lotus Cars.
Emira world debut on July 6
Lotus has confirmed more details of its all-new sportscar, to date known only by its codename ‘Type 131’. Firstly, its name is now confirmed to be Emira – pronounced ‘E-meer-a’, a word which features in numerous ancient languages and often translates as ‘commander’ or ‘leader’.
The Emira will be unveiled on July 6 at the Lotus Advanced Performance Centre in England, adjacent to the factory where it will be made. Contrary to media speculation, the car will not be a hybrid. In contrast to almost every company talking about new cars with electrified powertrains, Lotus has confirmed that the Emira will be powered by a choice of internal combustion engines – the last time Lotus will launch a car with a combustion engine – with a new powertrain partnership. The additional powertrain option will be new to Lotus, highly efficient, use cutting-edge technology and be tuned to help deliver that distinctive Lotus experience.
With a distinctive new sports car design influenced by the Evija hypercar, the Emira marks the acceleration of the brand’s product-led offensive into a new era of contemporary design, highly efficient powertrains, and everyday usability coupled with explosive performance.
New Lotus architectures
The Emira is being built on one of four new Lotus architectures. Working collaboratively with colleagues in Europe and China, Lotus engineers have developed a dedicated family of structural platforms for the brand. Exclusive to Lotus within the Geely group but available to other companies through the Lotus Engineering consultancy, these four architectures will underpin the next generation of Lotus performance cars.
The first is the Sports Car Architecture, referred to internally as the Elemental architecture. This is the platform on which the Emira will be built. Flexible, lightweight and featuring the signature Lotus extruded aluminium technology, this sportscar platform is a massive step-change technically. Every dimension is different to previous generations of Lotus sportscars.
The second one is Hypercar Architecture, which the Evija will be the first car to use. Despite travel restrictions limiting testing opportunities around the world, progress on the hypercar has not stopped. Several thousand kilometres of engineering development and validation testing have already taken place in the UK. Lotus is also working with an advanced simulator company, allowing the Evija team to run endless simulations in the virtual world. This enhances confidence in passing project milestones with real-world development vehicles and creates programme efficiencies.
Evija owners will be the first Lotus customers to benefit from ‘what3words (W3W) technology’ available on the car. W3W divides the world into 3 metre x 3 metre squares and gives each a unique combination of three words: a W3W address. For example, ‘hotspots.punters.race’ is the W3W address for the entrance to Lotus HQ. The Lotus Emira will also benefit from this system, which is a far more accurate location system than the traditional postcode.
Premium Architecture is the third of the four architectures and is described as the first ever truly global automotive architecture from Lotus. This will complement the Evolution platform which will be the basis for an all-new range of lifestyle vehicles from the company. The architecture has been defined and designed in the UK, supported by collaborative work with teams in China, Sweden and Germany. It is ‘born British, raised globally’.
For the future is Electric Sportscar Architecture which will see a new vehicle platform coming from a collaborative effort between Lotus and Group Renault’s Alpine brand. The Lotus Engineering consultancy is leading development work on the new platform – known internally as ‘E-Sports’, from which will come new products for Lotus and Alpine.
“The E-Sports architecture will be flexible and modular, and will generate an exciting new sportscar for the Lotus brand, with contemporary styling, class-leading ride and handling, explosive performance and that unmistakable Lotus character – a pure dynamic experience that is ‘For The Drivers’. I have challenged our teams to target the same weight as our latest combustion engine sports cars,” Mr Windle said.
Core values driving the business forward
In 2021, there are three core values driving the business forward – Performance, Intelligent Technology and Sustainability. Thanks to Vision80 and the progress made since its launch, and the support of its shareholders, the long-term foundation and sustainability of the Lotus business is taking shape. The growth of Lotus is already sparking a new generation of Lotus cars, which will lead to an increase in vehicle sales worldwide.
Being part of the Geely group of companies gives Lotus access to a vast range of skills and expertise, something which it previously did not have. Hubs spread across the globe create the new Lotus map of the world, allowing the company to draw upon deep resources and skill bases as part of the Geely Group, in the same way its former owner, Proton.
Sportscar makers – as well as every other carmaker – know that the future is electric and they cannot waste any more time just doing R&D but actually get products out on the roads for sale. Nevertheless, the process of R&D still has to continue to advance technologies as well as develop new ones.
Motorsports offer a good testbed for R&D as extreme conditions are encountered, for which solutions to problems have to be found quickly with the competitive environment. The learnings gained by the engineers can be brought back and use for production cars.
Lotus appears to be doing just that with the E-R9, a dramatic new design study for a next-generation pure electric endurance racer that could be on the starting grid of circuits around the world for the 2030 racing season.
‘E-R’ stands for Endurance Racer, while ‘9’ is the car’s competition number carefully chosen in tribute to Lotus’ racing past. It was in a Lotus Mark IX that the race team made its debut appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours, with company founder Colin Chapman among the drivers competing. The year was 1955, meaning the E-R9 race car concept – if raced in 2030 – would be in celebration of the Mark IX’s 75th anniversary.
Technology showcase
The E-R9 has been developed by Lotus Engineering and is intended to serve as a technology showcase of Lotus philosophy, capability and innovative spirit in the fields of advanced electrified powertrains and aerodynamics. It was developed by the engineering team that included Louis Kerr, principal platform engineer on the Lotus Evija pure electric hypercar as well as technical director, GT, Geely Group Motorsports International.
Visually, it was brought to life by the Lotus Design team, led by Russell Carr, Design Director for Lotus. Finished in striking black and gold – a clear nod to Lotus’ pioneering motorsport heritage that led to 13 Formula 1 championship titles – the EV features a sleek fighter jet-style canopy centrally mounted in a delta-wing upper body.
‘Morphing’ body panels
Chief among the car’s aero innovations are its ‘morphing’ body panels. Located across the delta-wing profile, this adaptability – where active surfaces can change their shape and attitude to the air flow either at the press of a button by the driver or automatically according to performance sensor inputs – would deliver minimum drag on the straights and maximum downforce in the corners.
Vertical control surfaces at the rear would generate aerodynamic forces to help the car change direction, without the limitations of grip at the tyre contact patch. The result is a racer that’s partly driven like a car and partly flown like a fighter jet.
Technology from Evija
The E-R9 has an advanced electric drivetrain powering each wheel independently, a system enhanced with torque-vectoring. It builds on technology already integrated on the Evija though, for the E-R9, the system would be fully adjustable by the driver on the move.
“Battery energy density and power density are developing significantly year on year. Before 2030, we’ll have mixed cell chemistry batteries that give the best of both worlds, as well as the ability to ‘hot-swap’ batteries during pitstops,” predicts Kerr.