There’s extra to the way forward for Lotus than huge electric SUVs. That’s what the British firm as soon as well-known for its light-weight sports activities automobiles needs you to imagine—and it’s why Lotus has revealed a hanging new supercar idea, known as Concept 1.
To be clear, this isn’t an electrical rebirth of the Lotus Esprit, the wedge-shaped ’70s icon pushed into the ocean by James Bond. Not less than not but. Lotus aficionados will discover its title isn’t “Kind” adopted by three numbers, as is idea automobile custom, nor does it start with an E, as nearly all manufacturing Lotuses do. As an alternative, it’s a means of showcasing expertise that Lotus has deliberate for future automobiles and, simply possibly, a touch of a supercar to come back.
Talking solely to WIRED, Lotus design vice chairman Ben Payne stated: “We needed to recapture that sense of purity, however to not do a form of pastiche of an Esprit, as a result of that doesn’t make any sense. So it’s extra in regards to the spirit of that automobile, the logic of the design and the way managed it’s within the execution.”
That sense of management is vital to all points of the Concept 1. Lotus might have given it 2,000 horsepower to match its Evija flagship, but it surely settled at a extra cheap 987 hp (1,000 PS). It might have let its designers run wild with monumental aero buildings, ground-effect followers, and different hypercar paraphernalia, or overdosed on idea automobile tropes like big touchscreen shows, synthetic intelligence, or a drone that takes off from the rear deck.
As an alternative, Lotus did what it’s best recognized for and, within the apocryphal phrases of founder Colin Chapman, it “simplified, then added lightness.”
Payne defined: “There’s been this era of maximalism, and folks having to do one-upmanship and go above, above, above. And I believe we’ve reached that time the place it plateaus in stylistic phrases, and likewise within the demonstration of tech.” He provides, “We’re not in a loopy numbers race with this automobile.”
Severely Fast, Remarkably Gentle
Though not loopy by 2024 EV requirements, Lotus continues to be pitching the Concept 1 as a severely fast supercar. It’s aiming for a spread of 250 miles from a modest 70-kWh battery, an all-wheel-drive system with its rear motor bolted on to the suspension, motorsport-style, a 0 to 62-mph time of beneath 2.5 seconds, and a high pace of 200 mph. That’s all the same old supercar packing containers ticked, but it surely’s nothing to offer Rimac sleepless nights—or certainly get awkwardly near Lotus’ personal $2.3 million Evija.
Extra necessary than outright energy is weight. Lotus says the all-carbon Concept 1 has a goal of sub-1,600 kg (3,500 lbs), or round 300 kg lower than the Evija. To additional drive the weight-saving level house, the automobile has simply 10 “A-surface supplies”—these being the supplies you may see and contact with out digging beneath the floor—in comparison with the trade common of 100, in accordance with Lotus. The ten embody cellulose-based glass fiber, chopped carbon fiber, and titanium, in addition to recycled types of glazing, polyester, rubber, and aluminum.
It’s additionally sensibly sized, so far as fashionable supercars go, with a width of two,000 mm (78.7 inches), a size of 4,490 mm (176.8 inches), and a peak of 1,140 mm (44.9 inches). Add this relative sensibility to the ingeniously sensible doorways, three seats, and glorious visibility, and it’s simple to think about what a manufacturing model might appear to be.
