Lotus Evija hypercar revealed

Lotus has officially taken the wraps off the Evija, a 1470kW pure-electric hypercar that will commence production from early 2020.

Debuting in London overnight, the Evija is being bandied as the first EV hypercar, and marks truly unchartered territory for the Chinese-owned, British-manufactured Lotus brand.

The high-performance Lotus Evija electric vehicle will be strictly limited to 130 vehicles globally, three of which have already been earmarked for Australia, according to local sources.

Pricing has been set at about $A3 million – a significant sum, notwithstanding the incredible technology on offer.

Beneath its Le Mans-inspired exterior, replete with a ‘Venturi tunnel’ through each rear quarter (not unlike the Aston Martin Valkyrie), the Evija uses a mid-mounted 70kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is shrouded in the one-piece carbon-fibre monocoque chassis.

The battery has been developed by Lotus' technical partner, Williams Advanced Engineering.

Lotus says it is targeting 1470kW (2000hp!) and 1700Nm outputs for the Evija, which will translate to a 0-100km/h time of "less than three seconds" and a top speed in excess of 320km/h.

Although unlikely to rival the current hypercar kingpins, Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG ONE, in terms of outright top speed, the new Lotus could give them a run for their money in the benchmark acceleration stakes.

"The Lotus Evija has astonishing acceleration at higher speeds. It takes less than nine seconds to reach 300km/h which is better than any other direct competitor," said Matt Windle, executive director of engineering at Lotus.

The Lotus Evija's intense firepower is possible thanks to a bespoke "in-line axial arrangement of two high power density e-motors," according to Lotus.

"These feature integrated silicon carbide inverters and epicyclic transmission on each axle of the four-wheel drive powertrain.

"Four exceptionally compact, extremely light and highly efficient single-speed, helical gear ground planetary gearboxes transfer power to each driveshaft. Supplied by Xtrac and measuring a mere 100mm in depth, each gearbox comes packaged with the e-motor and inverter as a single cylindrical Electrical Drive Unit (EDU).

"With a target power of 500 horsepower per e-motor, this is the most efficient and elegant engineering solution to deploying so much power with precision," declares Lotus.

Pairing with the potent electric powertrain is a suite of active aerodynamic aids for exceptional downforce. A rear spoiler that sits flush with the bodywork deploys at speed to create an F1-style Drag Reduction System (DRS), while elsewhere, rear-facing cameras are utilised in place of wing mirrors to reduce drag.

Additionally, the full length of the underside is sculpted, and there’s an integrated air diffuser from under the B-pillars to the rear.

With a target weight of 1680kg, the Evija (pronounced 'E-vi-ya', meaning 'the first in existence' or 'the living one') will be the lightest pure electric hypercar to go into series production, says Lotus.

It will also boast the ability to accept 800kW fast charging when the technology becomes available (350kW is the existing charging infrastructure ceiling), which would ultimately correlate with an 18-minute charge time for the car's full 400km range.

That's probably just enough time to let the brakes cool off after a heavy session at the race track.

Lotus' new hypercar sits on adaptive spool dampers at each axle and magnesium wheels (20-inch front and 21-inch rear) shod with Pirelli Trofeo R tyres. Forged aluminium AP Racing brakes with carbon ceramic discs are situated at each corner.

"The Lotus Evija is a car like no other. It will re-establish our brand in the hearts and minds of sports car fans and on the global automotive stage. It will also pave the way for further visionary models," said Lotus Cars chief executive, Phil Popham.

The Lotus Evija is also equipped with obligatory driver safeguards, including a torque vectoring system enabled by the four e-motors and an ESP stability control system.

Lotus says the Evija will observe Lotus' traditional 'pure' steering feel by way of an electro-hydraulic system, and will bring mind-boggling performance – even for a hypercar.

Keeping the car's temperature regulated will be a quad-radiator cooling package that will mean "…the Evija is capable of being driven flat-out with no derate for at least seven minutes in Track mode," thanks to thousands of hours in virtual testing and digital analysis, says Lotus.

Coincidence that 7mins is about the time needed to start and complete a flying lap of the Nurburgring -- where EV records traditionally have started with a few hundred metres or so of a wrong direction lap to allow a flying start? We don't think so.

The British sports car brand has spruiked a digital sound track for the Evija, too, courtesy of a front-mounted speaker developed to meet pedestrian regulations.

Inside, the Evija uses a 'floating wing' dashboard inspired by the manufacturer's early racers. The two-seat layout is accessed via dihedral doors operated solely via a key fob. That means no door handles.

The insides are suitably adorned in Alcantara and other exotic materials, while the driver position features full adjustment, be it from the F1-inspired steering wheel or the carbon-fibre shell seats, fitted with three-point seatbelts.

A digital screen ahead of the steering wheel is the only such display throughout the car, sitting alongside touch-sensitive haptic-feedback buttons and minimalist switchgear. Everything from the power model selector to the indicator buttons are located on the steering wheel.

Incredibly, for the performance on offer, the Evija boasts climate control and an infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which can be connected to the cloud via an on-board modem.

The Evija will be built at Lotus' traditional headquarters at Hethel, in the United Kingdom, in a dedicated EV manufacturing facility.

The Lotus Evija is priced from £1.7m ($A3.02m) plus duties and taxes. A £250,000 ($A444,000) deposit secures a production slot.

Order books are now open through the Lotus website, or the car-maker’s Australian arm.

"This is another amazing moment in the history of our company," stated Lotus Cars boss Phil Popham.

"The Evija is a true Lotus in every sense – it has been developed with an unwavering passion to push boundaries, to explore new ways of thinking and to apply ground-breaking technologies."